Deuteronomy 12:1-32, NLT
Deuteronomy 12
The Lord’s Chosen Place for Worship
1“These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.
2“When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree.
4“Do not worship the Lord your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.
8“Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please,
12“You must celebrate there in the presence of the Lord your God with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Levites who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.
15“But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the Lord your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer.
17“But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.
20“When the Lord your God expands your territory as he has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want.
26“Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the Lord chooses.
29“When the Lord your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,
32*12:32 Verse 12:32 is numbered 13:1 in Hebrew text.“So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.