Dabarym (Deuteronomy) — 12

YAHUAH’s Chosen Place for Worship

1 “These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH  of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.

2 “When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their idols high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree. 

3 Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their pagan deities!

4 Do not worship 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your   𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH in the way these pagan peoples worship their idols. 

5 Rather, you must seek 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes the place where his name will be honored. 

6 There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks. 

7 There you and your families will feast in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because   𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH has Baraked you.

8 “Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please, 

9 because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH is giving you as your special possession. 

10 But you will soon cross the Yurdan River and live in the land 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land, 

11 you must bring everything I command you, your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow, to the designated place of worship, the place 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH chooses for His Name to be honored.

12 “You must celebrate there in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Lauym who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you. 

13 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like. 

14 You may do so only at the place  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.

15 “But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH Baraked you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer. 

16 But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

17 “But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown, neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings. 

18 You must eat these in the presence of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH at the place 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH will choose. Eat them there with your children, your servants, and the Lauym who live in your towns, celebrating in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH in all you do. 

19 And be very careful never to neglect the Lauym as long as you live in your land.

20 When 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH expands your territory as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want. 

21 It might happen that the designated place of worship, the place 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH chooses for his Name to be honored, is a long way from your home. If so, you may butcher any of the cattle, sheep, or goats 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has given you, and you may freely eat the meat in your hometown, as I have commanded you. 

22 Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you do now with gazelle and deer. 

23 But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat. 

24 Instead, pour out the blood on the ground like water. 

25 Do not consume the blood, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what pleases 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.

26 “Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH chooses. 

27 You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, but you may eat the meat. 

28 Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH.

29 When 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land, 

30 do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their idols. Do not inquire about their pagan deities, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their idols? I want to follow their example.’ 

31 You must not worship 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH the way the other nations worship their deities, for they perform to their deities every detestable act that  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their deities.

32 “So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.