1»These are the statutes and the judgments you should carefully observe in the land Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. 2»Destroy all the places where the nations you dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3»Tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles with fire. Cut down the carved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4»Do not worship Jehovah your God with such things. 5»You should seek Jehovah at the place Jehovah your God chooses out of all your tribes. This is where he will dwell and establish his name. This is where you should go. 6»There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7»You and your households should eat there before Jehovah your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings that Jehovah your God has blessed. 8»Do not behave the way we do here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes. 9»For you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that Jehovah your God is giving you. 10»When you cross the Jordan and live in the land Jehovah your God gives you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security. 11»It will happen in the place Jehovah choose for his name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you. Bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings that you will vow to Jehovah. 12»Rejoice be filled with joy before Jehovah 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. 13»Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place you see, 14but in the place Jehovah chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. 15»In whatever city you live, you may slaughter and eat as much meat as you want from what Jehovah your God has blessed you with. Clean and unclean people may eat it as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer. 16»Never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water. 17»You may not eat Jehovah’s offerings in your cities. Those offerings are: one-tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil; the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, or goats; the offerings you vow to bring; your freewill offerings; and your contributions. 18»You and your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of Jehovah your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of Jehovah your God enjoy everything for which you have worked. 19»Remember to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land. 20»Jehovah your God will expand your country's borders as he promised. You will say: I am hungry for meat. Then eat as much meat as you want. 21»If the place Jehovah your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you, you may slaughter an animal from the herds or flocks that Jehovah has given you. Eat as much as you want in your city. I have commanded you to do this. 22»Eat it as you would eat a gazelle or a deer. Clean and unclean people may eat it together. 23»Make sure you never eat blood, because blood contains life. Never eat the life with the meat. 24»Never eat blood! Pour it on the ground like water. 25»If you do not eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what Jehovah considers right. 26»Take the holy things and the offerings you have vowed to bring, and go to the place Jehovah will choose. 27»Sacrifice the meat and the blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of Jehovah your God. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of Jehovah your God, but you may eat the meat. 28»If you obey these laws, you will be doing what Jehovah your God says is right and good. Then he will help you and your descendants succeed. 29»Israel, Jehovah will get rid of the nations you attack. You may have their land. 30»Be careful that you are not ensnared to follow them, for they will be destroyed. Do not inquire after their gods, saying: How do these nations serve their gods that I also may do likewise? 31»Do not behave this way toward Jehovah your God, for every abominable act Jehovah hates they have done for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32»Be careful to do what I command you. Do not add to it nor take away from it.