Deuteronomy 12 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

These are the rules and guidelines you must carefully follow in the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess — for as long as you live on this earth.

You must completely destroy all the places where the nations you're driving out worshiped their gods — on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every large green tree.

Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles, chop down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from those places.

You must not worship Yahweh your God the way they worship their gods.

Instead, go to the place Yahweh your God will choose from among all your tribal territories to establish his name and make it his home. That's where you must go.

Bring your burnt offerings and your sacrificial meals there, your tenth-portion contributions, the gifts you set aside, your vow offerings, your voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

There, in the presence of Yahweh your God, you and your families will eat and celebrate everything you've worked for, because Yahweh your God has brought good things to you.

You must not keep doing things the way we're doing them here today — where everyone does whatever seems right to them.

That's because you haven't yet arrived at the resting place and the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving you.

But once you cross the Jordan and settle in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as your inheritance, and he gives you rest from all your enemies on every side so that you live in safety —

then to the place that Yahweh your God will choose as the home for his name — that's where you must bring everything I'm commanding you: your burnt offerings, your sacrificial meals, your tenth-portion contributions, the gifts you set aside, and all your best vow offerings that you promise to Yahweh.

And you will celebrate there in the presence of Yahweh your God — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who lives in your town, since he has no allotment or inheritance of his own among you.

Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings just anywhere you feel like it.

Only at the place Yahweh will choose in one of your tribal territories—that's where you must offer your burnt offerings, and that's where you must do everything I'm commanding you.

However, whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat in any of your towns, as much as Yahweh your God provides for you. Anyone may eat it — whether they are ritually qualified or not — just as you would eat gazelle or deer.

But you must not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.

You may not eat within your own towns the tenth-portion of your grain, new wine, or olive oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or any of your vow offerings, voluntary offerings, or the gifts you set aside.

Instead, you must eat these in the presence of Yahweh your God, at the place Yahweh your God will choose—you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levite who lives in your town. And you will celebrate in the presence of Yahweh your God over everything you've put your hands to.

Be careful not to neglect the Levite for as long as you live in your land.

When Yahweh your God expands your territory as he promised you, and you say, 'I'd like to eat some meat,' because you're craving it — then you may eat as much meat as you want.

If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to establish his name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any animal from the herd or flock that Yahweh has given you, just as I've commanded you, and eat it in your own town whenever you want.

Eat it the same way you'd eat gazelle or deer—anyone may eat it, whether ritually qualified or not.

Just be absolutely sure you don't eat the blood, because the blood is the life-force, and you must not eat the life-force along with the meat.

Don't eat it. Pour it out on the ground like water.

Don't eat it — so that things will go well for you and your children after you, because you'll be doing what is right in Yahweh's eyes.

But the sacred things you have and your vow offerings — those you must pick up and bring to the place Yahweh will choose.

Present your burnt offerings — the meat and the blood — on the altar of Yahweh your God. The blood of your other sacrificial meals must be poured out beside the altar of Yahweh your God, but you may eat the meat.

Guard and obey all these instructions I'm giving you, so that things will always go well for you and your children after you, because you'll be doing what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

When Yahweh your God wipes out the nations ahead of you as you go in to take over their land, and you drive them out and settle in their territory—

be careful you don't get trapped into following their ways after they've been destroyed ahead of you. Don't go investigating their gods, asking, 'How did these nations worship their gods? I want to do the same thing.'

You must not worship Yahweh your God their way, because every disgusting thing that Yahweh despises they have done for their gods. They even burn their own sons and daughters in the fire as offerings to their gods.

Everything I'm commanding you — be careful to do it. Don't add anything to it, and don't take anything away from it.