New Living Translation

Holman Christian Standard Bible

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.

1Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth.

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.

2Destroy completely all the places where the nations that you are driving out worship their gods--on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

3Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!

3Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.

4“Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.

4Don't worship the LORD your God this way.

5Rather, you must seek the LORD your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored.

5Instead, you must turn to the place Yahweh your God chooses from all your tribes to put His name for His dwelling and go there.

6There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks.

6You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

7There you and your families will feast in the presence of the LORD your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the LORD your God has blessed you.

7You will eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you."

8“Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please,

8You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own eyes.

9because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession.

9Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

10But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land,

10When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security,

11you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored.

11then Yahweh your God will choose the place to have His name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions, and all your choice offerings you vow to the LORD.

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.

12You will rejoice before the LORD your God--you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

13Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like.

13Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see.

14You may do so only at the place the LORD will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.

14You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command 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.

15But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,

16But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

16but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

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.

17Within your gates you may not eat: the tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.

18You must eat these in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose. Eat them there with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns, celebrating in the presence of the LORD your God in all you do.

18You must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God chooses--you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you do,

19And be very careful never to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

19and be careful not to neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land."

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.

20When the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, 'I want to eat meat because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.

21It might happen that the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored—is a long way from your home. If so, you may butcher any of the cattle, sheep, or goats the LORD has given you, and you may freely eat the meat in your hometown, as I have commanded you.

21If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.

22Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you do now with gazelle and deer.

22Indeed, you may eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the clean and the unclean may eat it.

23But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.

23But don't eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

24Instead, pour out the blood on the ground like water.

24Do not eat blood; pour it on the ground like water.

25Do not consume the blood, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what pleases the LORD.

25Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight."

26“Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the LORD chooses.

26But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD chooses.

27You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.

27Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.

28Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the LORD your God.

28Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God."

29“When the LORD your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,

29When the LORD your God annihilates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you drive them out and live in their land,

30do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’

30be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, 'How did these nations worship their gods? I'll also do the same.'

31You must not worship the LORD your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.

31You must not do the same to the LORD your God, because they practice every detestable thing, which the LORD hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.

32You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it."

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.