1"These are the statutes and the judgmentswhich you shall carefullyobserve in the landwhich the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess1as long* as you live on the earth.
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"You shall utterlydestroyall the placeswhere* the nationswhom you shall dispossessserve their gods, on the 2highmountains and on the hills and undereverygreentree.
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"3You shall teardown their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cutdown the engravedimages of their gods and 4obliterate their name from that place.
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"You shall not actlikethis toward the LORD your God.
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"5But you shall seek the LORD at the placewhich the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His namethere for His dwelling, and there you shall come.
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"There you shall bring your burntofferings, your sacrifices, 6your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votiveofferings, your freewillofferings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
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"There also you and your households shall eatbefore the LORD your God, and 7rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.
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"You shall not do at allwhat we are doingheretoday, everyman doing whatever is right in his own eyes;
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for you have not as yetcome to 8the restingplace and the 9inheritancewhich the LORD your God is giving you.
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"When you cross the Jordan and live in the landwhich the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and 10He gives you rest from all your enemiesaround you so that you live in security,
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11then it shall come about that the place in which the LORD your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bringall that I command you: your burntofferings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choicevotiveofferingswhich you will vow to the LORD.
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"And you shall 12rejoicebefore the LORD your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and femaleservants*, and the 13Levitewho is within your gates, since14he hasnoportion or inheritance with you.
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"15Be careful that you do not offer your burntofferings in every cultic place you see,
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but in the placewhich the LORDchooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burntofferings, and there you shall doall that I command you.
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"16However, you may slaughter and eatmeat within any of your gates, whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your Godwhich He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of 17the gazelle and the deer.
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"18Only you shall not eat the blood; 19you are to pour it out on the ground like water.
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"20You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or newwine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votiveofferingswhich you vow, or your freewillofferings, or the contribution of your hand.
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"But 21you shall eat them before the LORD your God in 22the placewhich the LORD your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and femaleservants*, and the 23Levitewho is within your gates; and you shall 24rejoicebefore the LORD your God in all your undertakings.
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"25Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long* as you live in your land.
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"When the LORD your Godextends your border26as He has promised you, and you say, 'I will eatmeat,' because you desire to eatmeat, then you may eatmeat, whatever you desire.
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"If the placewhich the LORD your Godchooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flockwhich the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gateswhatever you desire.
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"Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the cleanalike may eat of it.
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"Only be sure27not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.
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"You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
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"You shall not eat it, so that 28it may be well with you and your sonsafter you, for 29you will be doingwhat is right in the sight of the LORD.
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"30Only your holythingswhich you may have and your votiveofferings, you shall take and go to the placewhich the LORDchooses.
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"And 31you shall offer your burntofferings, the flesh and the blood, on 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 32you shall eat the flesh.
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"Be careful to listen to allthesewordswhich I command you, so that 33it may be well with you and your sonsafter you forever*, for you will be doingwhat is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.
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"When34the LORD your Godcutsoffbefore* you the nationswhich you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,
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beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyedbefore* you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do thesenationsserve their gods, that I also may dolikewise?'
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"35You shall not behavethus toward the LORD your God, for everyabominableactwhich the LORDhates they have done for their gods; for 36they evenburn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
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"37Whatever** I command you, you shall be careful to do; 38you shall not add to nortakeaway from it.