Deuteronomy 12:11-15

12:11 Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing 1  everything I am commanding you – your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, 2  and all your choice votive offerings which you devote to him. 3  12:12 You shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages 4  (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you). 5  12:13 Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, 12:14 for you may do so 6  only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas – there you may do everything I am commanding you. 7 

Regulations for Profane Slaughter

12:15 On the other hand, you may slaughter and eat meat as you please when the Lord your God blesses you 8  in all your villages. 9  Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an ibex.

1 tn Heb “and it will be (to) the place where the Lord your God chooses to cause his name to dwell you will bring.”

2 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”

3 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

4 tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”

5 sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.

7 tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

8 sn This injunction to worship in a single and central sanctuary – one limited and appropriate to the thrice-annual festival celebrations (see Exod 23:14-17; 34:22-24; Lev 23:4-36; Deut 16:16-17) – marks a departure from previous times when worship was carried out at local shrines (cf. Gen 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:1, 3, 7; Exod 17:15). Apart from the corporate worship of the whole theocratic community, however, worship at local altars would still be permitted as in the past (Deut 16:21; Judg 6:24-27; 13:19-20; 1 Sam 7:17; 10:5, 13; 2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Kgs 18:30).

10 tn Heb “only in all the desire of your soul you may sacrifice and eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given to you.”

11 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB; likewise in vv. 17, 18).