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The LORD’s Chosen Place for Worship
“These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.
“These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.
You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
“When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods — high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree.
Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!
You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.
“Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.
Rather, you must seek the LORD your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes — the place where his name will be honored.
There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks.
There you and your families will feast in the presence of the LORD your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the LORD your God has blessed you.
“You shall not at all do as we are doing here today — every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes —
“Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please,
because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession.
But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety,
But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land,
then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord.
you must bring everything I command you — your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow — to the designated place of worship, the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored.
And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
“You must celebrate there in the presence of the LORD your God with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Levites who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.
Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see;
Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like.
but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
You may do so only at the place the LORD will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.
“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike.
“But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the LORD your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer.
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water.
But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.
“But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown — neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.
But you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in [g]all to which you put your hands.
You must eat these in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose. Eat them there with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns, celebrating in the presence of the LORD your God in all you do.
And be very careful never to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.
“When the Lord your God enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires.
“When the LORD your God expands your territory as he has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want.
If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter from your herd and from your flock which the Lord has given you, just as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your gates as much as your heart desires.
It might happen that the designated place of worship — the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored — is a long way from your home. If so, you may butcher any of the cattle, sheep, or goats the LORD has given you, and you may freely eat the meat in your hometown, as I have commanded you.
Just as the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you may eat them; the unclean and the clean alike may eat them.
Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you do now with gazelle and deer.
Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat.
But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.
You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water.
Instead, pour out the blood on the ground like water.
You shall not eat it, that it may go well with you and your children after you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
Do not consume the blood, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what pleases the LORD.
Only the holy things which you have, and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses.
“Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the LORD chooses.
And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the meat.
You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.
Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the LORD your God.
Beware of False Gods
“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
“When the LORD your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,
take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’
do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’
You must not worship the LORD your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.