合宜的敬拜
1“只要你们生活在你们祖先的上帝耶和华赐给你们的土地上，就要谨遵以下律例和典章。
2“你们赶走那里的列邦后，要彻底摧毁他们在高山上、丘陵上、绿树下供奉其神明的地方。 3你们要拆毁他们的祭坛，打碎他们的神柱，焚烧他们的亚舍拉神像，砍倒他们的偶像，使它们的名字从那里消失。 4你们不可按照他们的方式敬拜你们的上帝耶和华。 5你们的上帝耶和华要在你们众支派中选一个地方作祂的居所，你们要去那里敬拜祂， 6把你们的燔祭及其他祭物、十一奉献、举祭、还愿祭、自愿献的祭和头生的牛羊带到那里。 7你们和家人要在那里，在你们的上帝耶和华面前吃喝；要为你们所做的一切蒙祂赐福而欢喜快乐。
8“你们不可再像今日这样各行其是， 9因为到如今你们还没有进入你们的上帝耶和华赐给你们作产业的安歇之地。 10但不久你们将渡过约旦河，定居在那片土地上。耶和华将使你们四境太平，安然居住， 11你们要把我吩咐你们献的燔祭、各种牲祭、十一奉献、举祭和一切还愿祭带到你们的上帝耶和华选定的敬拜场所。 12在那里，你们和儿女、仆婢及同城中没有分到土地作产业的利未人，要一起在你们的上帝耶和华面前欢喜快乐。 13你们不可随处向耶和华献燔祭。 14耶和华会在你们的一个支派中选定敬拜的场所，你们只可以在那里献燔祭，做我吩咐你们的一切事。
15“你们可以随时在居住的各城宰杀牲畜吃，享受你们的上帝耶和华所赐的福，像吃羚羊和鹿一样。洁净的人和不洁净的人都可以吃。 16但你们不可吃血。要把血倒在地上，像倒水一样。 17不可在你们的城里吃十一奉献的谷物、新酒和油、头生的牛羊、还愿祭、自愿献的祭和举祭； 18要在你们的上帝耶和华选定的地方，与儿女、仆婢及同城的利未人一起在耶和华面前吃。要为你们所做的一切，在你们的上帝耶和华面前欢喜快乐。 19切记，只要你们还住在自己的土地上，就不可忘记利未人。
20“你们的上帝耶和华按照祂的应许扩展你们的疆域后，你们若想吃肉，随时都可以吃。 21如果你们的上帝耶和华选定的敬拜场所离你们太远，你们可以在自己的城里，按照我的吩咐，随时宰杀耶和华赐给你们的牛羊吃， 22就像你们吃羚羊和鹿一样。洁净的人和不洁净的人都可以吃。 23但你们不可吃血，因为血就是生命；你们不可把生命和肉一起吃， 24要把血倒在地上，像倒水一样。 25你们要做耶和华视为正的事——不可吃血，以便你们及子孙凡事顺利。 26你们要把圣物和还愿祭带到耶和华选定的地方。 27你们要在你们的上帝耶和华的祭坛上献燔祭，连肉带血都要献上。要把其他祭牲的血倒在坛上，但可以吃祭肉。 28你们要认真听从我给你们的这些吩咐，做你们的上帝耶和华视为正与善的事，以便你们及子孙凡事顺利，直到永远。
29“你们的上帝耶和华将为你们铲除列国。你们要赶走他们，住在他们的土地上。 30那时，你们要谨慎，不可受诱惑去效法他们的习俗，不可打听他们神明的事，说，‘这些民族怎样供奉他们的神明呢？我也要效法。’ 31你们不可按照他们的方式敬拜你们的上帝耶和华。他们祭拜自己神明的种种行为令耶和华憎恶，他们甚至焚烧自己的儿女献给他们的神明。
32“你们要谨遵我的一切吩咐，不可增添，也不可删减。
Worship Only Where the Lord Wants You To
1Here are the rules and laws you must obey. Be careful to obey them in the land the Lord has given you to take as your own. He’s the God of your people who lived long ago. Obey these rules and laws as long as you live in the land. 2You will soon drive the nations out of it. Completely destroy all the places where they worship their gods. Destroy them on the high mountains, on the hills and under every green tree. 3Break down their altars. Smash their sacred stones. Burn up the poles they use to worship the female god named Asherah. Cut down the statues of their gods. Wipe out the names of their gods from those places.
4You must not worship the Lord your God the way those nations worship their gods. 5Instead, go to the special place he will choose from among all your tribes. He will put his Name there. That’s where you must go. 6Take your burnt offerings and sacrifices to that place. Bring your special gifts and a tenth of everything you produce. Take with you what you have promised to give. Bring any other offerings you choose to give. And bring the male animals among your livestock that were born first to their mothers. 7You and your families will eat at the place the Lord your God will choose. He will be with you there. You will find joy in everything you have done. That’s because he has blessed you.
8You must not do as we’re doing here today. All of us are doing only what we think is right. 9That’s because you haven’t yet reached the place the Lord is giving you. Your God will give you peace and rest there. 10But first you will go across the Jordan River. You will settle in the land he’s giving you. It will belong to you as your share. He will give you peace and rest from all your enemies around you. You will live in safety. 11The Lord your God will choose a special place. He will put his Name there. That’s where you must bring everything I command you to bring. That includes your burnt offerings and sacrifices. It includes your special gifts and a tenth of everything you produce. It also includes all the things of value that you promised to give to the Lord. 12Be filled with joy there in the sight of the Lord your God. Your children should also be joyful. So should your male and female servants. And so should the Levites from your towns. The Levites won’t receive any part of the land as their share. 13Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you want to. 14Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes. There you must obey everything I command you.
15But you can kill your animals in any of your towns. You can eat as much of the meat as you want to. You can eat it as if it were antelope or deer meat. That is part of the blessing the Lord your God is giving you. Those who are “clean” and those who are not can eat it. 16But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it. Pour the blood out on the ground like water. 17Here are the things you must not eat in your own towns. You must not eat the tenth part of your grain, olive oil and fresh wine. It belongs to the Lord. You must not eat the male animals among your livestock that were born first to their mothers. Don’t eat anything you have promised to give. Don’t eat any offerings you have chosen to give. And you must not eat any of your special gifts. 18Instead, you must eat all those things in the sight of the Lord your God. Do it at the place he will choose. You, your children, your male and female servants and the Levites from your towns can eat them. Be filled with joy in the sight of the Lord your God. Be joyful in everything you do. 19Don’t forget to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.
20The Lord your God will increase your territory, just as he has promised you. When he does, you might get hungry for meat. You might say, “I’d really like some meat.” Then you can eat as much of it as you want to. 21The Lord your God will choose a special place. He will put his Name there. But suppose that place is too far away from you. Then you can kill animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you. Do it just as I have commanded you. In your own towns you can eat as much of the meat as you want to. 22Eat it as you would eat antelope or deer meat. Those who are “clean” and those who are not can eat it. 23But be sure you don’t eat meat that still has blood in it. The blood is the animal’s life. So you must not eat the life along with the meat. 24You must not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water. 25Don’t eat it. Then things will go well with you and your children after you. You will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
26But go to the place the Lord will choose. Take with you the things you have set apart for him. Bring what you have promised to give him. 27Sacrifice your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. Offer the meat and the blood there. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured out beside his altar. But you can eat the meat. 28Make sure you obey all the rules I’m giving you. Then things will always go well with you and your children after you. That’s because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.
29You are about to attack the land and take it over as your own. When you do, the Lord your God will destroy the nations who live there. He will do it to make room for you. You will drive them out. You will settle in their land. 30They will be destroyed to make room for you. But when they are destroyed, be careful. Don’t be trapped. Don’t ask questions about their gods. Don’t say, “How do these nations serve their gods? We’ll do it in the same way.” 31You must not worship the Lord your God the way they worship their gods. When they worship, they do all kinds of evil things the Lord hates. They even burn up their children in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
32Be sure you do everything I am commanding you to do. Do not add anything to my commands. And do not take anything away from them.
