Deuteronomy 12

These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

1These are the rules you must carefully obey in the land. The LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you that land. Obey these rules as long as you live there.

2Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:

2Completely destroy every place where those nations worshiped their gods. They used high mountains, hills, and spots under every green tree.

3And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

3Tear down their altars, the tables where they burned gifts to their gods. Smash their stone pillars. Burn their wooden poles. Chop down their idols. Wipe those gods' names out of every place.

NoteThe KJV word "groves" does not mean woods or gardens here. It means tall wooden poles set up for a goddess named Asherah.

4Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.

4Do not worship the LORD your God in those ways.

5But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

5Instead, the LORD your God will choose one place out of all your tribes. He will put his name there and make it his home. Go to that place.

6And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

6Bring your gifts to that place. Bring animals burned on the altar and other sacrifices. Bring your tithes and your special gifts. Bring what you promised and what you give freely. Bring the first animals born to your cows and sheep.

NoteA tithe means one tenth. People gave God one tenth of the food they grew or raised.

7And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

7There you will eat in front of the LORD your God, with everyone in your house. Be glad about all your work, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

8Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

8Do not keep doing what we are doing here today. Right now each person does whatever he thinks is right.

9For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.

9You have not yet come to the place of rest. You have not yet come to the land the LORD your God is giving you.

10But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

10But you will cross the Jordan River and live in that land. The LORD your God is giving it to you to keep. He will give you rest from all the enemies around you. Then you will live safely.

11Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:

11Then the LORD your God will choose one place for his name to live. Bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings and other sacrifices. Bring your tithes, your special gifts, and the best gifts you promised the LORD.

12And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

12Be glad there in front of the LORD your God. Bring your sons and daughters and your servants. Bring the Levite who lives in your town too. Levites were the helpers at God's tent, and they had no land of their own.

13Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

13Be careful. Do not burn your offerings at just any place you see.

14But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

14Offer them only at the place the LORD chooses, in one of your tribes' lands. Do everything I command you there.

15Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

15But you may kill animals and eat meat in your own towns. Eat as much as you want, as the LORD your God has blessed you. Anyone in your family may eat it, clean or not clean, just like deer or gazelle meat.

Note"Whatsoever thy soul lusteth after" only means "as much as you want." It is not about anything bad. "Clean" and "unclean" mean ready or not ready to join in worship that day.

16Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

16But do not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.

17Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

17Some things you may not eat at home. Not the tenth part of your grain, your wine, or your oil. Not the first animals born to your cows and sheep. Not the gifts you promised or the gifts you give freely.

18But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

18Eat those in front of the LORD your God, at the place he chooses. Bring your son, your daughter, your servants, and the Levite from your town. Be glad before the LORD your God in everything you do.

19Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

19Be careful. Never forget to care for the Levites as long as you live.

20When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

20The LORD your God will make your land bigger, just as he promised. When you want meat and say so, you may eat meat. Eat as much as you want.

21If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

21The place the LORD chooses may be far from your home. Then kill animals from your herd or flock, the ones the LORD gave you. Do it as I told you. Eat the meat at home whenever you want.

22Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.

22Eat it the way you would eat a deer or a gazelle. Anyone may eat it, clean or not clean.

23Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

23Just be sure you do not eat the blood. The blood is the life. Do not eat the life along with the meat.

24Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.

24Do not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.

25Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

25Do not eat it. Then things will go well for you and for your children after you. You will be doing what the LORD says is right.

26Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:

26Take your holy gifts and the gifts you promised. Carry them to the place the LORD chooses.

27And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.

27Offer your burnt offerings there, both the meat and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God. Pour out the blood of your other sacrifices at that altar. Then you may eat the meat.

28Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.

28Listen carefully and obey everything I command you. Then it will go well for you and your children after you, always. You will be doing what is good and right to the LORD your God.

29When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

29The LORD your God will remove the nations ahead of you in the land. You will take their place and live in their land.

30Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

30Be careful. Do not get trapped into copying them after they are gone. Do not ask, "How did these nations worship their gods? I will do the same."

31Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

31Do not worship the LORD your God that way. Those nations did things for their gods that the LORD hates. They even burned their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

32Do everything I command you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away.