^12:5But you must seek only the place he⁷ chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence,⁸ and you must go there. ^12:6And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared,⁹ your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. ^12:7Both you and your families¹⁰ must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he¹¹ has blessed you. ^12:8You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone¹² doing what seems best to him, ^12:9for you have not yet come to the final stop¹³ and inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. ^12:10When you do go across the Jordan River¹⁴ and settle in the land he¹⁵ is granting you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you, you will live in safety.¹⁶^12:11Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing¹⁷ everything I am commanding you—your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared,¹⁸ and all your choice votive offerings which you devote to him.¹⁹^12:12You shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages²⁰ (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you).²¹^12:13Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, ^12:14for you may do so²² only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas—there you may do everything I am commanding you.²³

Regulations for Profane Slaughter

^12:15On the other hand, you may slaughter and eat meat as you please when the Lord your God blesses you²⁴ in all your villages.²⁵ Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an ibex. ^12:16However, you must not eat blood—pour it out on the ground like water. ^12:17You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings. ^12:18Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he²⁶ chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites²⁷ in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor.²⁸^12:19Be careful not to overlook the Levites as long as you live in the land.

The Sanctity of Blood

^12:20When the Lord your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say, “I want to eat meat just as I please,”²⁹ you may do so as you wish.³⁰^12:21If the place he³¹ chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he³² has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages³³ just as you wish.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

7 Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
8 Some scholars, on the basis of v. 11, emend the reading שִׁכְנוֹ (shikhno, “his residence”) to the infinitive construct לְשָׁכֵן (léshakhen, “to make [his name] to dwell”), perhaps with the 3rd person masculine singular sf לְשַׁכְּנוֹ (léshakéno, “to cause it to dwell”). Though the presupposed noun שֵׁכֶן (shekhen) is nowhere else attested, the parallel here with שַׁמָּה (shammah, “there”) favors retaining the as it stands.
9 Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
10 Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
11 Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in .
12 Heb “a man.”
13 Heb “rest.”
14 The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
15 Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in .
16 In the Hebrew text vv. 10–11 are one long, complex sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two sentences.
17 Heb “and it will be (to) the place where the Lord your God chooses to cause his name to dwell you will bring.”
18 Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
19 Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in .
20 Heb “within your gates” (so , ); “who belongs to your community.”
21 They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in .
22 Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
23 This injunction to worship in a single and central sanctuary—one limited and appropriate to the thrice-annual festival celebrations (see Exod 23:14–17; 34:22–24; Lev 23:4–36; Deut 16:16–17)—marks a departure from previous times when worship was carried out at local shrines (cf. Gen 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:1, 3, 7; Exod 17:15). Apart from the corporate worship of the whole theocratic community, however, worship at local altars would still be permitted as in the past (Deut 16:21; Judg 6:24–27; 13:19–20; 1 Sam 7:17; 10:5, 13; 2 Sam 24:18–25; 1 Kgs 18:30).
24 Heb “only in all the desire of your soul you may sacrifice and eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given to you.”
25 Heb “gates” (so , ; likewise in vv. 17, 18).
26 Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in .
27 See note at .
28 Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”
29 Heb “for my soul desires to eat meat.”
30 Heb “according to all the desire of your soul you may eat meat.”
31 Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in .
32 Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in .
33 Heb “gates” (so , ); “in your own community.”