1 T hese are the statutes and ordinances which you shall be watchful to do in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, gives you to possess all the days you live on the earth.

“These are the Laws you should be careful to obey in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you for your own as long as you live on the earth.

2 Y ou shall surely destroy all the places where the nations you dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains and the hills and under every green tree.

Be sure to destroy all the places of worship of the nations whose place you are taking. Destroy them on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

3 Y ou shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire; you shall hew down the graven images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.

Break down their altars and crush their pillars of worship. Burn their wooden female gods of worship named Asherim with fire. Cut down the objects made to look like their gods. And destroy their name from that place.

4 Y ou shall not behave so toward the Lord your God.

But do not act like this toward the Lord your God.

5 B ut you shall seek the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His Name and make His dwelling place, and there shall you come;

Look for the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your family groups. There He will make His name known, and make His home there, and there you will come.

6 A nd there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the offering of your hands, and your vows and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock.

Bring to this place your burnt gifts, your gifts of worship, the tenth part of what you receive, the gifts of your hands, your promises, your free-will gifts, and the first-born of your cattle and your flock.

7 A nd there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

You and those of your house will eat there before the Lord your God, and have joy in all that you do, in which the Lord your God has brought good to you.

8 Y ou shall not do according to all we do here this day, every man doing whatever looks right in his own eyes.

You will not do at all the things we are doing here today, for every man is doing whatever is right in his own eyes.

9 F or you have not yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God gives you.

For you have not yet come to the resting place and the land the Lord your God is giving you.

10 B ut when you go over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God causes you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about so that you dwell in safety,

You will cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. He will give you rest from all those around you who hate you, so you will be safe.

11 T hen there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause His Name to dwell there; to it you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes and what the hand presents, and all your choicest offerings which you vow to the Lord.

Then bring all I tell you to the place where the Lord your God will choose to make His name known. Bring your burnt gifts, your gifts of worship, the tenth part of what you receive, the gifts of your hands, and all the special gifts that you promised to the Lord.

12 A nd you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, and your menservants and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your towns, since he has no part or inheritance with you.

Be full of joy before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your men and women servants, and the Levite within your town who has no share of their gift.

13 B e watchful not to offer your burnt offerings in every place you see.

Be careful that you do not give your burnt gifts in just any place you see.

14 B ut in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all I command you.

But give your burnt gifts in the place which the Lord chooses in the land where your families live. There you should do all that I tell you.

15 H owever, you may kill and eat flesh in any of your towns whenever you desire, according to the provision for the support of life with which the Lord your God has blessed you; those unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the hart.

“But you may kill and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you want, as the Lord your God has given you His good gifts. Both the clean and the unclean may eat of it, as you would of the gazelle and the deer.

16 O nly you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it upon the ground as water.

Only do not eat the blood. You are to pour it out on the ground like water.

17 Y ou may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your new wine or of your oil, or the firstlings of your herd or flock, or anything you have vowed, or your freewill offerings, or the offerings from your hand.

You are not allowed to eat within your towns the tenth part of your grain, or new wine, or oil, or the first-born of your cattle or flock, or any of your promised gifts, or your free-will gifts, or the gifts of your hands.

18 B ut you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God shall choose, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, and the Levite that is within your towns; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake.

But you should eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, your men and women servants, and the Levite who is within your towns. Be full of joy before the Lord your God in everything you do.

19 T ake heed not to forsake or neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.

Be careful that you do not stop caring for the Levites as long as you live in your land.

20 W hen the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He promised you, and you say, I will eat flesh, because you crave flesh, you may eat flesh whenever you desire.

“The Lord your God will give you more land as He has promised you. And when you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you want to eat meat, then you may eat as much meat as you want.

21 I f the place where the Lord your God has chosen to put His Name is too far from you, then you shall kill from your herd or flock which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you; eat in your towns as much as you desire.

If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may kill from your cattle or flock which the Lord has given you, as I have told you, and you may eat within your towns whatever you want.

22 J ust as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so you may eat of it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it.

You will eat it just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten. Both the clean and unclean may eat of it.

23 O nly be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you may not eat the life with the flesh.

Only be sure not to eat the blood. For the blood is the life. You must not eat the life with the flesh.

24 Y ou shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water.

Do not eat it, but pour it out on the ground like water.

25 Y ou shall not eat it, that all may go well with you and with your children after you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.

Do not eat it, so it may go well with you and your children after you. For you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

26 O nly your holy things which you have and what you have vowed you shall take, and go to the place which the Lord shall choose.

Take your holy things which you may have and all the special gifts you promised to give to the place which the Lord chooses.

27 A nd offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon 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 may eat the flesh.

Give your burnt gifts, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your gifts will be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God. And you will eat the flesh.

28 B e watchful and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Be careful to listen to all these words I am telling you. Then it will go well with you and your children after you forever. For you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God. Israel to Watch out for False Gods

29 W hen the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go to dispossess, and you dispossess them and live in their land,

“The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations whose land you will take. You will take their place and live in their land.

30 B e watchful that you are not ensnared into following them after they have been destroyed before you and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? We will do likewise.

But be careful that you are not fooled into following them, after they are destroyed before you. Do not ask about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods so that I may do the same?’

31 Y ou shall not do so to the Lord your God, for every abominable thing which the Lord hates they have done for their gods. For even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods.

Do not act this way toward the Lord your God. For they have done for their gods every sinful act which the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32 W hatever I command you, be watchful to do it; you shall not add to it or diminish it.

“Be careful to do whatever I tell you. Do not add to it or take away from it.