One Place for Worship
1These [are] the statutesand judgments,which ye shall observeto doin the land,which the LORDGodof thy fathersgiveththee to possessit, all the daysthat ye liveupon the earth.2Ye shall utterlydestroyall the places,wherein the nationswhichye shall possessservedtheir gods,upon the highmountains,and upon the hills,and under every greentree:3And ye shall overthrowtheir altars,and breaktheir pillars,and burntheir groveswith fire;and ye shall hew downthe graven imagesof their gods,and destroythe namesof them out of that place.4Ye shall not do sounto the LORDyour God.5But unto the placewhich the LORDyour Godshall chooseout of all your tribesto puthis namethere, [even] unto his habitationshall ye seek,and thither thou shalt come:6And thither ye shall bringyour burnt offerings,and your sacrifices,and your tithes,and heave offeringsof your hand,and your vows,and your freewill offerings,and the firstlingsof your herdsand of your flocks:7And there ye shall eatbeforethe LORDyour God,and ye shall rejoicein all that ye putyour handunto, ye and your households,wherein the LORDthy Godhath blessedthee.
8Ye shall not doafter all [the things] that we dohere this day,every manwhatsoever [is] rightin his own eyes.9For ye are not as yet cometo the restand to the inheritance,which the LORDyour Godgivethyou.10But [when] ye go overJordan,and dwellin the landwhich the LORDyour Godgiveth you to inherit,and [when] he giveth you restfrom all your enemiesround about,so that ye dwellin safety;11Then there shall be a placewhich the LORDyour Godshall chooseto cause his nameto dwellthere; thither shall ye bringall that I commandyou; your burnt offerings,and your sacrifices,your tithes,and the heave offeringof your hand,and all your choicevowswhich ye vowunto the LORD:12And ye shall rejoicebeforethe LORDyour God,ye, and your sons,and your daughters,and your menservants,and your maidservants,and the Levitethat [is] within your gates;forasmuchas he hath no partnor inheritancewith you.
13Take heedto thyself that thou offernot thy burnt offeringsin every placethat thou seest:14But in the placewhich the LORDshall choosein oneof thy tribes,there thou shalt offerthy burnt offerings,and there thou shalt doall that I commandthee.
15Notwithstanding thou mayest killand eatfleshin all thy gates,whatsoever thy soullusteth after,according to the blessingof the LORDthy Godwhich he hath giventhee: the uncleanand the cleanmay eatthereof, as of the roebuck,and as of the hart.16Only ye shall not eatthe blood;ye shall pourit upon the earthas water.17Thou mayestnot eatwithin thy gatesthe titheof thy corn,or of thy wine,or of thy oil,or the firstlingsof thy herdsor of thy flock,nor any of thy vowswhich thou vowest,nor thy freewill offerings,or heave offeringof thine hand:18But thou must eatthem beforethe LORDthy Godin the placewhich the LORDthy Godshall choose,thou, and thy son,and thy daughter,and thy manservant,and thy maidservant,and the Levitethat [is] within thy gates:and thou shalt rejoicebeforethe LORDthy Godin all that thou puttestthine handsunto.19Take heedto thyself that thou forsakenot the Leviteas long as thou livestupon the earth.
20When the LORDthy Godshall enlargethy border,as he hath promisedthee, and thou shalt say,I will eatflesh,because thy soullongethto eatflesh;thou mayest eatflesh,whatsoever thy soullusteth after.21If the placewhich the LORDthy Godhath chosento puthis namethere be too farfrom thee, then thou shalt killof thy herdand of thy flock,which the LORDhath giventhee, as I have commandedthee, and thou shalt eatin thy gateswhatsoever thy soullusteth after.22Even as the roebuckand the hartis eaten,so thou shalt eatthem: the uncleanand the cleanshall eat[of] them alike.23Only be surethat thou eatnot the blood:for the blood[is] the life;and thou mayest not eatthe lifewith the flesh.24Thou shalt not eatit; thou shalt pourit upon the earthas water.25Thou shalt not eatit; that it may go wellwith thee, and with thy childrenafterthee, when thou shalt do[that which is] rightin the sightof the LORD.26Only thy holy thingswhich thou hast, and thy vows,thou shalt take,and gounto the placewhich the LORDshall choose:27And thou shalt offerthy burnt offerings,the fleshand the blood,upon the altarof the LORDthy God:and the bloodof thy sacrificesshall be poured outupon the altarof the LORDthy God,and thou shalt eatthe flesh.
28Observeand hearall these wordswhich I commandthee, that it may go wellwith thee, and with thy childrenafterthee forever,when thou doest[that which is] goodand rightin the sightof the LORDthy God.
Warning against Idolatry
(Deuteronomy 4:15-31;Ezekiel 6:1-7)
29When the LORDthy Godshall cut offthe nationsfrom beforethee, whither thou goestto possessthem, and thou succeedestthem, and dwellestin their land;30Take heedto thyself that thou be not snaredby followingthem, afterthat they be destroyedfrom beforethee; and that thou enquirenot after their gods,saying,How did these nationsservetheir gods?even so will I dolikewise.31Thou shalt not doso unto the LORDthy God:for every abominationto the LORD,which he hateth,have they doneunto their gods;for even their sonsand their daughtersthey have burntin the fireto their gods.
32What thingsoever I commandyou, observeto doit: thou shalt not addthereto, nor diminishfrom it.
