One Place to Meet Your Father
12 1 These are the statutes and judgments you must carefully keep in the land our Father, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days you live on the earth. 2 Completely destroy every place where the nations you drive out served their gods — on the high mountains, the hills, and under every green tree. 3 Break down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles; cut down their gods' carved images, and wipe out their name from that place. a a v3 Asherah poles were carved wooden cult objects dedicated to the Canaanite goddess Asherah, set up at pagan worship sites. 4 You must not worship your Father in that way. 5 Instead, seek the place your Father will choose from all your tribes to put his name and make his home; there you must come. 6 There bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenth and the contribution of your hand, your vow offerings and voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and flock. 7 There, before your Father, you and your households will eat and rejoice in all you put your hand to, because your Father has blessed you. 8 You must not do as we do here today, each doing what is right in his own eyes. 9 For you have not yet reached the rest and the inheritance your Father is giving you. 10 But when you cross the Jordan and settle in the land your Father gives you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all your enemies around you so you live in safety, 11 then to the place your Father chooses to settle his name, there bring all I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenth and the contribution of your hand, and all the choice vow offerings you vow to your Father. 12 Rejoice before your Father — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite in your towns, since he has no portion or inheritance with you. 13 Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place you see, 14 but only in the place your Father chooses, in one of your tribes; there offer your burnt offerings, and there do all I command you.
15 Yet you may slaughter and eat meat in all your towns, whatever you desire, according to the blessing your Father has given you. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, like the gazelle and the deer. 16 Only you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. 17 You may not eat in your towns the tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil, nor the firstborn of your herd or flock, nor any of your vow offerings, your voluntary offerings, or the contribution of your hand. 18 Instead, eat them before your Father in the place he chooses — you, your son and daughter, your male and female servant, and the Levite in your towns; and rejoice before him in all you undertake. 19 Be careful not to abandon the Levite as long as you live in your land.
20 When your Father enlarges your territory as he promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because your soul craves meat, you may eat meat to your soul's desire. 21 If the place your Father will choose to put his name there is too far from you, you may slaughter from the herd and flock your Father has given you, as I commanded you, and eat in your towns as you desire. 22 Just as one eats the gazelle and the deer, so you may eat it; unclean and clean alike may eat it. 23 Only be firmly resolved not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life; do not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must not eat it; you are to 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, when you do what is right in your Father's eyes. 26 But take your holy things and your vow offerings to the place your Father will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings — the meat and the blood — on the altar of your Father. Pour the blood of your sacrifices beside the altar of your Father, and eat the meat. 28 Carefully obey all these words I command you, so it goes well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in your Father's eyes.
29 When your Father cuts off before you the nations you go to drive out, and you drive them out and settle in their land, 30 Be careful you're not trapped into following their ways after they're destroyed before you, and don't ask about their gods, "How did these nations serve their gods? I'll do the same." 31 Do not worship your Father that way, for they did for their gods every detestable thing your Father hates — even burning their sons and daughters in fire to their gods. 32 Be careful to do everything I command you; add nothing to it, take nothing from it.
