Deuteronomy 12

elleh hakhuqqim vehammishpatim asher tishmerun la'asot ba'arets asher natan Adonai elohe avotekha lekha lerishtah kol-hayyamim asher-attem khayyim al-ha'adamah

These are the laws and rules that you must carefully observe in the land that the ETERNAL, God of your ancestors, is giving you to possess, as long as you live on earth.

abbed te'abbedun et-kol-hammeqomot asher avedu-sham haggoyim asher attem yoreshim otam et-elohehem al-heharim haramim ve'al-haggeva'ot vetakhat kol-ets ra'anan

You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshiped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree.

venittatstem et-mizbekhotam veshibbartem et-matsevotam va'asherehem tisrefun ba'esh ufesile elohehem tegadde'un ve'ibbadtem et-shemam min-hammaqom hahu

Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site.

lo-ta'asun ken la-Adonai elohekhem

Do not worship the ETERNAL your God in like manner,

ki im-el-hammaqom asher-yivkhar Adonai elohekhem mikkol-shivtekhem lasum et-shemo sham leshikhno tidreshu uvata shammah

but look only to the site that the ETERNAL your God will choose amidst all your tribes as God’s habitation, to establish the divine name there. There you are to go,

vahavetem shammah olotekhem vezivkhekhem ve'et maserotekhem ve'et terumat yedkhem venidrekhem venidvotekhem uvekhorot beqarkhem vetsonekhem

and there you are to bring your burnt offerings and other sacrifices, your tithes and contributions, your votive and freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks.

va'akhaltem-sham lifne Adonai elohekhem usemakhtem bekhol mishlakh yedkhem attem uvattekhem asher berakhkha Adonai elohekha

Together with your households, you shall feast there before the ETERNAL your God, happy in all the undertakings in which the ETERNAL your God has blessed you.

lo ta'asun kekhol asher anakhnu osim poh hayyom ish kol-hayyashar be'enayw

You shall not act at all as we now act here, everyone as they please,

ki lo-vatem ad-attah el-hammenukhah ve'el-hannakhalah asher-Adonai elohekha noten lakh

because you have not yet come to the allotted haven that the ETERNAL your God is giving you.

va'avartem et-hayyarden vishavtem ba'arets asher-Adonai elohekhem mankhil etkhem veheniakh lakhem mikkol-oyevekhem missaviv vishavtem-betakh

When you cross the Jordan and settle in the land that the ETERNAL your God is allotting to you, and you are granted safety from all your enemies around you and you live in security,

vehayah hammaqom asher-yivkhar Adonai elohekhem bo leshakken shemo sham shammah tavi'u et kol-asher anokhi metsavveh etkhem olotekhem vezivkhekhem maserotekhem uterumat yedkhem vekhol mivkhar nidrekhem asher tidderu la-Adonai

then you must bring everything that I command you to the site where the ETERNAL your God will choose to establish the divine name: your burnt offerings and other sacrifices, your tithes and contributions, and all the choice votive offerings that you vow to GOD.

usemakhtem lifne Adonai elohekhem attem uvenekhem uvenotekhem ve'avdekhem ve'amhotekhem vehallevi asher besha'arekhem ki en lo kheleq venakhalah ittekhem

And you shall rejoice before the ETERNAL your God with your sons and daughters and with your male and female slaves, along with the Levite in your settlements, for he has no territorial allotment among you.

hishamer lekha pen-ta'aleh olotekha bekhol-maqom asher tireh

Take care not to sacrifice your burnt offerings in any place you like,

ki im-bammaqom asher-yivkhar Adonai be'akhad shevatekha sham ta'aleh olotekha vesham ta'aseh kol asher anokhi metsavvekka

but only in the place that GOD will choose in one of your tribal territories. There you shall sacrifice your burnt offerings and there you shall observe all that I enjoin upon you.

raq bekhol-avvat nafshekha tizbakh ve'akhalta vasar kevirkat Adonai elohekha asher natan-lekha bekhol-she'arekha hattame vehattahor yokhelennu katsevi vekha'ayyal

But whenever you desire, you may slaughter and eat meat in any of your settlements, according to the blessing that the ETERNAL your God has granted you. The impure and the pure alike may partake of it, as of the gazelle and the deer.

raq haddam lo tokhelu al-ha'arets tishpekhennu kammayim

But you must not partake of the blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.

lo-tukhal le'ekhol bisharekha masar deganekha vetiroshekha veyitsharekha uvekhorot beqarekha vetsonekha vekhol-nedarekha asher tiddor venidvotekha uterumat yadekha

You may not partake in your settlements of the tithes of your new grain or wine or oil, or of the firstlings of your herds and flocks, or of any of the votive offerings that you vow, or of your freewill offerings, or of your contributions.

ki im-lifne Adonai elohekha tokhelennu bammaqom asher yivkhar Adonai elohekha bo attah uvinkha uvittekha ve'avdekha va'amatekha vehallevi asher bisharekha vesamakhta lifne Adonai elohekha bekhol mishlakh yadekha

These you must consume before the ETERNAL your God in the place that the ETERNAL your God will choose—you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite in your settlements—happy before the ETERNAL your God in all your undertakings.

hishamer lekha pen-ta'azov et-hallevi kol-yamekha al-admatekha

Be sure not to neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.

ki-yarkhiv Adonai elohekha et-gevulkha ka'asher dibber-lakh ve'amarta okhelah vasar ki-te'avveh nafshekha le'ekhol basar bekhol-avvat nafshekha tokhal basar

When GOD enlarges your territory, as promised, and you say, “I shall eat some meat,” for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you wish.

ki-yirkhaq mimmekha hammaqom asher yivkhar Adonai elohekha lasum shemo sham vezavakhta mibbeqarekha umitsonekha asher natan Adonai lekha ka'asher tsivvitikha ve'akhalta bisharekha bekhol avvat nafshekha

If the place where GOD has chosen to establish the divine name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that GOD gives you, as I have instructed you; and you may eat to your heart’s content in your settlements.

akh ka'asher ye'akhel et-hatsevi ve'et-ha'ayyal ken tokhelennu hattame vehattahor yakhdav yokhelennu

Eat it, however, as the gazelle and the deer are eaten: the impure may eat it together with the pure.

raq khazaq levilti akhol haddam ki haddam hu hannafesh velo-tokhal hannefesh im-habbasar

But make sure that you do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh.

lo tokhelennu al-ha'arets tishpekhennu kammayim

You must not partake of it; you must pour it out on the ground like water:

lo tokhelennu lema'an yitav lekha ulevanekha akharekha ki-ta'aseh hayyashar be'ene Adonai

you must not partake of it, in order that it may go well with you and with your descendants to come, for you will be doing what is right in GOD’s sight.

raq qodashekha asher-yihyu lekha unedarekha tissa uvata el-hammaqom asher-yivkhar Adonai

But such sacred and votive donations as you may have shall be taken by you to the site that GOD will choose.

ve'asita olotekha habbasar vehaddam al-mizbakh Adonai elohekha vedam-zevakhekha yishafekh al-mizbakh Adonai elohekha vehabbasar tokhel

You shall offer your burnt offerings, both the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the ETERNAL your God; and of your other sacrifices, the blood shall be poured out on the altar of the ETERNAL your God, and you shall eat the flesh.

shemor veshamata et kol-haddevarim ha'elleh asher anokhi metsavvekka lema'an yitav lekha ulevanekha akharekha ad-olam ki ta'aseh hattov vehayyashar be'ene Adonai elohekha

Be careful to heed all these commandments that I enjoin upon you; thus it will go well with you and with your descendants after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the ETERNAL your God.

ki-yakhrit Adonai elohekha et-haggoyim asher attah va-shammah lareshet otam mippanekha veyarashta otam veyashavta be'artsam

When the ETERNAL your God has cut down before you the nations that you are about to enter and dispossess, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their land,

hishamer lekha pen-tinnaqesh akharehem akhare hishamedam mippanekha ufen-tidrosh lelohehem lemor ekhah ya'avdu haggoyim ha'elleh et-elohehem ve'e'eseh-kken gam-ani

beware of being lured into their ways after they have been wiped out before you! Do not inquire about their gods, saying, “How did those nations worship their gods? I too will follow those practices.”

lo-ta'aseh khen la-Adonai elohekha ki khol-to'avat Adonai asher sane asu lelohehem ki gam et-benehem ve'et-benotehem yisrefu va'esh lelohehem

You shall not act thus toward the ETERNAL your God, for they perform for their gods every abhorrent act that GOD detests; they even offer up their sons and daughters in fire to their gods.