19. But watch yourself: as long as you are on the land, don’t forget about the Levites.
20. Once the Lord your God has enlarged your territory, as he promised you, and you think to yourself, I’d like to eat some meat (because you have the desire to do so), feel free to do so whenever you want.
21. But if the location that the Lord your God will choose to put his name is far away from where you live, then slaughter an animal from your herd or flock that the Lord has given you, just as I have commanded you, and eat it in your cities whenever you wish.
22. But be sure to eat it as if it were gazelle or deer. People who are polluted and people who are purified can feast on it together.
23. Furthermore, make sure that you don’t consume any of the blood, because blood is life. You must not consume the life along with the meat.
24. You must not consume any of it. Pour it out on the ground, just like water.
25. You must not consume any of it so that things go well for you and for your children later because you did what was right in the Lord’s eyes.
26. Note that you must bring your sacred offerings and your payments for solemn promises to the location the Lord selects,
27. offering up your entirely burned sacrifices—both meat and blood—on the Lord your God’s altar. The blood from your sacrifices must be poured out on the Lord your God’s altar, but you are allowed to eat the meat.
28. Observe and obey all these words that I am commanding you so that things always go well for you and your children later because you did what was good and right in the Lord your God’s eyes.
29. Once the Lord your God has removed from before you all the nations that you are entering and taking possession of, and you have displaced them and are living in their land,
30. then watch yourself! Don’t be trapped by following their practices after they’ve been wiped out before you. Don’t go investigating their gods, thinking, How did these nations worship their gods? I want to do the very same thing!
31. Don’t act like they did toward the Lord your God because they did things for their gods that are detestable to the Lord, which he hates. They even burned their own sons and daughters with fire for their gods!