New American Standard Bible 1995

Holman Christian Standard Bible

1"These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.

1Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth.

2"You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.

2Destroy completely all the places where the nations that you are driving out worship their gods--on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

3"You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.

3Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.

4"You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God.

4Don't worship the LORD your God this way.

5"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 there you shall come.

5Instead, you must turn to the place Yahweh your God chooses from all your tribes to put His name for His dwelling and go there.

6"There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

6You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

7"There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

7You will eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you."

8"You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes;

8You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own eyes.

9for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you.

9Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

10"When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security,

10When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security,

11then it shall come about that the place in which the LORD your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the LORD.

11then Yahweh your God will choose the place to have His name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions, and all your choice offerings you vow to the LORD.

12"And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.

12You will rejoice before the LORD your God--you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

13"Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see,

13Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see.

14but in the place which the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

14You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you."

15"However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer.

15But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,

16"Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

16but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

17"You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand.

17Within your gates you may not eat: the tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.

18"But you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all your undertakings.

18You must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God chooses--you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you do,

19"Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

19and be careful not to neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land."

20"When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire.

20When the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, 'I want to eat meat because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.

21"If the place which the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire.

21If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.

22"Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it.

22Indeed, you may eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the clean and the unclean may eat it.

23"Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.

23But don't eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

24"You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.

24Do not eat blood; pour it on the ground like water.

25"You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the LORD.

25Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight."

26"Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the LORD chooses.

26But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD chooses.

27"And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, and you shall eat the flesh.

27Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.

28"Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

28Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God."

29"When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,

29When the LORD your God annihilates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you drive them out and live in their land,

30beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?'

30be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, 'How did these nations worship their gods? I'll also do the same.'

31"You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

31You must not do the same to the LORD your God, because they practice every detestable thing, which the LORD hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32"Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

32You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it."

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.