Old Testament

New Testament

Deuteronomy 12:6-23 God's Word Translation (GW)

6. Bring him your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, the offerings you vow to bring, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats.

7. There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families will eat and enjoy everything you’ve worked for, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

8. Never worship in the way that it’s being done here today, where everyone does whatever he considers right.

9. Up until now you haven’t come to your place of rest, the property the Lord your God is giving you.

10. But you will cross the Jordan River and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own property. He will give you peace from all your enemies around you so that you will live securely.

11. Then the Lord your God will choose a place where his name will live. You must bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, and all the best offerings you vow to bring to the Lord.

12. Enjoy yourselves in the presence of the Lord your God along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites. (The Levites live in your cities because they have no land of their own as you have.)

13. Be careful that you don’t sacrifice your burnt offerings wherever you want.

14. Instead, sacrifice them ⌊only⌋ at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes. There you must do everything I command you.

15. In whatever city you live, you may slaughter and eat as much meat as you want from what the Lord your God has blessed you with. Clean and unclean people may eat it as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer.

16. But never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water.

17. You may not eat ⌊the Lord’s offerings⌋ in your cities. Those offerings are: one-tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil; the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, or goats; the offerings you vow to bring; your freewill offerings; and your contributions.

18. Instead, you, your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of the Lord your God enjoy everything you’ve worked for.

19. Don’t forget to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.

20. The Lord your God will expand your ⌊country’s⌋ borders as he promised. You will say, “I’m hungry for meat.” Then eat as much meat as you want.

21. If the place the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you, you may slaughter an animal from the herds or flocks that the Lord has given you. Eat as much as you want in your city. I have commanded you to do this.

22. Eat it as you would eat a gazelle or a deer: Clean and unclean people may eat it together.

23. However, be sure you never eat blood, because blood contains life. Never eat the life with the meat.

Read complete chapter Deuteronomy 12