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The One Place for Worship

¹ "These are the Laws you should be careful to obey in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you for your own as long as you live on the earth. ² Be sure to destroy all the places of worship of the nations whose place you are taking. Destroy them on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. ³ Break down their altars and crush their pillars of worship. Burn their wooden female gods of worship named Asherim with fire. Cut down the objects made to look like their gods. And destroy their name from that place. ⁴ But do not act like this toward the Lord your God. ⁵ Look for the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your family groups. There He will make His name known, and make His home there, and there you will come. ⁶ Bring to this place your burnt gifts, your gifts of worship, the tenth part of what you receive, the gifts of your hands, your promises, your free-will gifts, and the first-born of your cattle and your flock. ⁷ You and those of your house will eat there before the Lord your God, and have joy in all that you do, in which the Lord your God has brought good to you. ⁸ You will not do at all the things we are doing here today, for every man is doing whatever is right in his own eyes. ⁹ For you have not yet come to the resting place and the land the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰ You will cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. He will give you rest from all those around you who hate you, so you will be safe. ¹¹ Then bring all I tell you to the place where the Lord your God will choose to make His name known. Bring your burnt gifts, your gifts of worship, the tenth part of what you receive, the gifts of your hands, and all the special gifts that you promised to the Lord. ¹² Be full of joy before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your men and women servants, and the Levite within your town who has no share of their gift. ¹³ Be careful that you do not give your burnt gifts in just any place you see. ¹⁴ But give your burnt gifts in the place which the Lord chooses in the land where your families live. There you should do all that I tell you.

¹⁵ "But you may kill and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you want, as the Lord your God has given you His good gifts. Both the clean and the unclean may eat of it, as you would of the gazelle and the deer. ¹⁶ Only do not eat the blood. You are to pour it out on the ground like water. ¹⁷ You are not allowed to eat within your towns the tenth part of your grain, or new wine, or oil, or the first-born of your cattle or flock, or any of your promised gifts, or your free-will gifts, or the gifts of your hands. ¹⁸ But you should eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, your men and women servants, and the Levite who is within your towns. Be full of joy before the Lord your God in everything you do. ¹⁹ Be careful that you do not stop caring for the Levites as long as you live in your land.

²⁰ "The Lord your God will give you more land as He has promised you. And when you say, ‘I will eat meat,' because you want to eat meat, then you may eat as much meat as you want. ²¹ If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may kill from your cattle or flock which the Lord has given you, as I have told you, and you may eat within your towns whatever you want. ²² You will eat it just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten. Both the clean and unclean may eat of it. ²³ Only be sure not to eat the blood. For the blood is the life. You must not eat the life with the flesh. ²⁴ Do not eat it, but pour it out on the ground like water. ²⁵ Do not eat it, so it may go well with you and your children after you. For you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. ²⁶ Take your holy things which you may have and all the special gifts you promised to give to the place which the Lord chooses. ²⁷ Give your burnt gifts, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your gifts will be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God. And you will eat the flesh. ²⁸ Be careful to listen to all these words I am telling you. Then it will go well with you and your children after you forever. For you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Israel to Watch out for False Gods

²⁹ "The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations whose land you will take. You will take their place and live in their land. ³⁰ But be careful that you are not fooled into following them, after they are destroyed before you. Do not ask about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods so that I may do the same?' ³¹ Do not act this way toward the Lord your God. For they have done for their gods every sinful act which the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

³² "Be careful to do whatever I tell you. Do not add to it or take away from it.