Deuteronomy 12:5-21

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁵ Instead, you must turn to the place Yahweh your God chooses from all your tribes to put His name for His dwelling and go there. ⁶ You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions,^[a] your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. ⁷ You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,^[b] because the Lord your God has blessed you.

⁸ “You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own eyes. ⁹ Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place^(A) and the inheritance^(B) the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰ When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit,^(C) and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, ¹¹ then Yahweh your God will choose the place to have His name dwell.^(D) Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,^[c] and all your choice offerings you vow to the Lord. ¹² You will rejoice^(E) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.^{(F) 13} Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see. ¹⁴ You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.

Slaughtering Animals to Eat

¹⁵ “But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates,^(G) according to the blessing the Lord your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer, ¹⁶ but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.^{(H) 17} Within your gates you may not eat: the tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.^{[d] 18} You must eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God chooses—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates. Rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you do,^{[e] 19} and be careful not to neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land.

²⁰ “When the Lord your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you,^(I) and you say, ‘I want to eat meat’ because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want. ²¹ If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.