Chapter 12
1 These are the statutes and the ordinances, which ye shall
observe to do in the land which HaShem, the G-d of thy fathers, hath given thee
to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
2 Ye shall surely destroy all the places, wherein the nations
that ye are to dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon
the hills, and under every leafy tree.
3 And ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces
their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and ye shall hew down the
graven images of their gods; and ye shall destroy their name out of that place.
4 Ye shall not do so unto HaShem your G-d.
5 But unto the place which HaShem your G-d shall choose out
of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall ye
seek, and thither thou shalt come;
6 and thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your
sacrifices, and your tithes, and the offering of your hand, and your vows, and
your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock;
7 and there ye shall eat before HaShem your G-d, and ye shall
rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein
HaShem thy G-d hath blessed thee.
8 Ye shall not do after all that we do here this day, every
man whatsoever is right in his own eyes;
9 for ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the
inheritance, which HaShem your G-d giveth thee.
10 But when ye go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land
which HaShem your G-d causeth you to inherit, and He giveth you rest from all
your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
11 then it shall come to pass that the place which HaShem
your G-d shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring
all that I command you: your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes,
and the offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto HaShem.
12 And ye shall rejoice before HaShem your G-d, ye, and your
sons, and your daughters, and your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and the
Levite that is within your gates, forasmuch as he hath no portion nor
inheritance with you.
13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy
burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest;
14 but in the place which HaShem shall choose in one of thy
tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all
that I command thee.
15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh within all
thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of HaShem
thy G-d which He hath given thee; the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as
of the gazelle, and as of the hart.
16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out
upon the earth as water.
17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy
corn, or of thy wine, or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy
flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill-offerings, nor
the offering of thy hand;
18 but thou shalt eat them before HaShem thy G-d in the place
which HaShem thy G-d shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy
man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates; and
thou shalt rejoice before HaShem thy G-d in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as
long as thou livest upon thy land.
20 When HaShem thy G-d shall enlarge thy border, as He hath
promised thee, and thou shalt say: 'I will eat flesh', because thy soul desireth
to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.
21 If the place which HaShem thy G-d shall choose to put His
name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy
flock, which HaShem hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt
eat within thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul.
22 Howbeit as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou
shalt eat thereof; the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike.
23 Only be stedfast in not eating the blood; for the blood is
the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.
24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it out upon the
earth as water.
25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and
with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes
of HaShem.
26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou
shalt take, and go unto the place which HaShem shall choose;
27 and thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and
the blood, upon the altar of HaShem thy G-d; and the blood of thy sacrifices
shall be poured out against the altar of HaShem thy G-d, and thou shalt eat the
flesh.
28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee,
that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when
thou doest that which is good and right in the eyes of HaShem thy G-d.
29 When HaShem thy G-d shall cut off the nations from before
thee, whither thou goest in to dispossess them, and thou dispossessest them, and
dwellest in their land;
30 take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow
them, after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not
after their gods, saying: 'How used these nations to serve their gods? even so
will I do likewise.'
31 Thou shalt not do so unto HaShem thy G-d; for every
abomination to HaShem, which He hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even
their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods.
Sources: Portions copyright © 1997 by Benyamin Pilant, All Rights Reserved
JPS Electronic Edition, based on the 1917 JPS translation, Copyright © 1998 by Larry Nelson, All Rights Reserved
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