Deuteronomy 12:5-21

New American Standard Bible

⁵^(A)But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and you shall come there. ⁶You shall bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, ^(B)your tithes, the ^[a]contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your ^[b]voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. ⁷There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and ^(C)rejoice in all ^[c]your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

⁸“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, ^(D)everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; ⁹for you have not as yet come to ^(E)the resting place and the ^(F)inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and ^(G)He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, ¹¹^(H)then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring everything that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the ^[d]contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord. ¹²And you shall ^(I)rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the ^(J)Levite who is within your gates, since ^(K)he has no portion or inheritance with you.

¹³“^(L)Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any cultic place that you see, ¹⁴but only in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes: there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I command you.

¹⁵“^(M)However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, ^[e]whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as ^(N)the gazelle and the deer. ¹⁶^(O)Only you shall not eat the blood; ^(P)you are to pour it out on the ground like water. ¹⁷^(Q)You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, new wine, or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your vowed offerings which you vow, or your ^[f]voluntary offerings, or the ^[g]contribution of your hand. ¹⁸But ^(R)you shall eat them before the Lord your God in ^(S)the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the ^(T)Levite who is within your gates; and you shall ^(U)rejoice before the Lord your God in all ^[h]your undertakings. ¹⁹^(V)Be careful that you do not abandon the Levite ^[i]as long as you live in your land.

²⁰“When the Lord your God extends your border ^(W)as He has ^[j]promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because ^[k]you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, ^[l]whatever you desire. ²¹If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter animals from your herd and flock which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates ^[m]whatever you desire.