Deuteronomy 12 — GMV

12 Verse 1 And these are the ordinances and the judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of your fathers gives you for an inheritance, all the days which ye live upon the land. ^{Verse 2} Ye shall utterly destroy all the places in which they served their gods, whose land ye inherit, on the high mountains and on the hills, and under the thick tree. ^{Verse 3} And ye shall destroy their altars, and break in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their groves, and ye shall burn with fire the graven images of their gods, and ye shall abolish their name out of that place. ^{Verse 4} Ye shall not do so to the Lord your God. ^{Verse 5} But in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose in one of your cities to name his name there, and to be called upon, ye shall even seek him out and go thither. ^{Verse 6} And ye shall carry thither your whole burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your firstfruits, and your vowed offerings, and your freewill offerings, and your offerings of thanksgiving, the firstborn of your herds, and of your flocks. ^{Verse 7} And ye shall eat there before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all the things on which ye shall lay your hand, ye and your houses, as the Lord your God has blessed you. ^{Verse 8} Ye shall not do altogether as we do here today, every man that which is pleasing in his own sight. ^{Verse 9} For hitherto ye have not arrived at the rest and the inheritance, which the Lord our God gives you. ^{Verse 10} And ye shall go over Jordan, and shall dwell in the land, which the Lord our God takes as an inheritance for you; and he shall give you rest from all your enemies round about, and ye shall dwell safely. ^{Verse 11} And there shall be a place which the Lord thy God shall choose for his name to be called there, thither shall ye bring all things that I order you today; your whole burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the firstfruits of your hands, and every choice gift of yours, whatsoever ye shall vow to the Lord your God. ^{Verse 12} And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants and your maidservants, and the Levite that is at your gates; because he has no portion or inheritance with you. ^{Verse 13} Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy whole burnt offerings in any place which thou shalt see; ^{Verse 14} save in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, in one of thy tribes, there shall ye offer your whole burnt offerings, and there shalt thou do all things whatsoever I charge thee this day. ^{Verse 15} But thou shalt kill according to all thy desire, and shalt eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which he has given thee in every city; the unclean that is within thee and the clean shall eat it on equal terms, as the doe or the stag. ^{Verse 16} Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it out on the ground as water. ^{Verse 17} Thou shalt not be able to eat in thy cities the tithe of thy corn, and of thy wine, and of thine oil, the firstborn of thy herd and of thy flock, and all your vows as many as ye shall have vowed, and your thank offerings, and the firstfruits of thy hands. ^{Verse 18} But before the Lord thy God thou shalt eat it, in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose for himself, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the stranger that is within thy gates; and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, on whatsoever thou shalt lay thy hand. ^{Verse 19} Take heed to thyself that thou do not desert the Levite all the time that thou livest upon the earth. ^{Verse 20} And if the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy borders, as he said to thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh; if thy soul should desire to eat flesh, thou shalt eat flesh according to all the desire of thy soul. ^{Verse 21} And if the place be far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose for himself, that his name be called upon it, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock which God shall have given thee, even as I commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy cities according to the desire of thy soul. ^{Verse 22} As the doe and the stag are eaten, so shalt thou eat it; the unclean in thee and the clean shall eat it in like manner. ^{Verse 23} Take diligent heed that thou eat no blood, for blood is the life of it; the life shall not be eaten with the flesh. ^{Verse 24} Ye shall not eat it; ye shall pour it out on the ground as water. ^{Verse 25} Thou shalt not eat it, that it may be well with thee and with thy sons after thee, if thou shalt do that which is good and pleasing before the Lord thy God. ^{Verse 26} But thou shalt take thy holy things, if thou hast any, and thy vowed offerings, and come to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to have his name named upon it. ^{Verse 27} And thou shalt sacrifice thy whole burnt offerings, thou shalt offer the flesh upon the altar of the Lord thy God; but the blood of thy sacrifices thou shalt pour out at the foot of the altar of the Lord thy God, but the flesh thou shalt eat. ^{Verse 28} Beware and hearken, and thou shalt do all the commands which I charge thee, that it may be well with thee and with thy sons forever, if thou shalt do that which is pleasing and good before the Lord thy God. ^{Verse 29} And if the Lord thy God shall utterly destroy the nations, to whom thou goest in thither to inherit their land, from before thee, and thou shalt inherit it, and dwell in their land; ^{Verse 30} take heed to thyself that thou seek not to follow them after they are destroyed before thee, saying, How do these nations act toward their gods? I will do likewise. ^{Verse 31} Thou shalt not do so to thy God; for they have sacrificed to their gods the abominations of the Lord which he hates, for they burn their sons and their daughters in fire to their gods.