One Place for Worship

1These the laws and the judgments which ye shall watch to do in the land which Jehovah the God of thy fathers gave to thee to possess it all the days which ye live upon the earth. 2Destroying, ye shall destroy all the places where the nations which ye possess them served there their Gods upon the high mountains, and upon the hills and under every green tree. 3And break ye down their altars and break in pieces their pillars, and their columns ye shall burn with fire; and the carved things of their gods ye shall hew down, and destroy their names from that place. 4Ye shall not do so to Jehovah your God. 5But the place which Jehovah your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, to his dwelling shall ye seek, and there do thou come: 6And bring there your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, and your tenths, and the offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your voluntary gifts and the first-born of your cattle and your sheep. 7And eat there before Jehovah your God, and rejoice in all the stretching forth of your hand, ye and your houses in which Jehovah thy God blessed thee.

8Ye shall not do according to all we do here this day, every man the right in his eyes. 9For ye came not yet now to the rest and to the inheritance which Jehovah thy God gave to thee. 10And pass ye over Jordan and dwell in the land which Jehovah your God causes you to inherit, and he caused rest to you from all your enemies from round about, and ye dwelt confidently: 11And there was the place which Jehovah your God shall choose in it to cause his name to dwell there; there shall ye bring all which I command you: your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, your tenths, and the offerings of your hands, and all the choice of your vows which ye shall vow to Jehovah. 12And rejoice ye before Jehovah your God, ye, and your sons and your daughters, and your servants, and your maids, and the Levite who is in your gates; for not to him a portion and inheritance with you.

13Watch to thyself lest thou lift up thy burnt-offering in every place which thou shalt see. 14But in the place which Jehovah shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt bring up thy burnt-offering, and there thou shalt do all I command thee.

15Only in all the desire of thy soul thou shalt sacrifice and eat flesh according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he gave to thee in all thy gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it, as the roe and as the stag. 16Only the blood thou shalt not eat: upon the earth ye shall pour it as water. 17Thou shalt not be able to eat in thy gates the tenth of thy grain, and thy new wine and thy new oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and thy flocks, and all the vows which thou shalt vow, and thy voluntaries, and the offerings of thy hand: 18But before Jehovah thy God thou shalt eat it, in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose in it, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy servant, and thy maid, and the Levite which is in thy gates: and rejoice thou before Jehovah thy God in all the stretching forth of thy hand. 19Watch to thyself lest thou shalt forsake the Levite all thy days upon the earth.

20When Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy boundary, as he spake to thee, and thou said; I will eat flesh because thy soul shall desire to eat flesh, in all thy soul desired thou shalt eat flesh. 21When the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose to put his name there shall be far off from thee, and thou shalt sacrifice from thy cattle and from thy sheep which Jehovah gave to thee, as I commanded thee, and eat thou in thy gates in all thy soul desired. 22If as he shall eat the roe and the stag, so shalt thou eat it; the unclean and the clean together shall eat it. 23Only be striving not to eat the blood, for the blood it is the soul; and thou shalt not eat the soul with the flesh. 24Thou shalt not eat it: upon the earth thou shalt pour it as water. 25Thou shalt not eat it; so that it shall be well to thee and to thy sons after thee, when thou shalt do right in the eyes of Jehovah. 26Only thy holy things which shall be to thee, and thy vows, thou shalt lift up and go to the place which Jehovah shall choose: 27And do thou thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of Jehovah thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of Jehovah thy God, and the flesh thou shalt eat.

28Watch and hear all these words which I command thee, so that it shall be well to thee and to thy sons after thee, even till forever; for thou shalt do the good and the right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.

A Warning against Idolatry
(Deuteronomy 4:15–31; Ezekiel 6:1–7)

29For Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations where thou goest in there to possess them, from before thee, and thou shalt inherit them, and thou shalt dwell in their land. 30Watch to thyself lest thou shalt be snared after them after their being destroyed from before thee; and lest thou shalt seek to their gods, saying, How shall these nations serve their gods? and so will I do also. 31Thou shalt not do so to Jehovah thy God; for every abomination of Jehovah which he hated they did to their gods; for also their sons and their daughters they will burn in fire to their gods.

32Every word which I command you, ye shall watch to do it: thou shalt not add upon it, and thou shalt not take away from it.