Bible in Basic English
These are the laws and the decisions which you are to keep with care in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to be your heritage all the days of your life on earth.
You are to give up to the curse all those places where the nations, whom you are driving out, gave worship to their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green tree:
Their altars and their pillars are to be broken down, and their holy trees burned with fire, and the images of their gods cut down; you are to take away their names out of that place.
Do not so to the Lord your God.
But let your hearts be turned to the place which will be marked out by the Lord your God, among your tribes, to put his name there;
And there you are to take your burned offerings and other offerings, and the tenth part of your goods, and the offerings to be lifted up to the Lord, and the offerings of your oaths, and those which you give freely from the impulse of your hearts, and the first births among your herds and your flocks;
There you and all your families are to make a feast before the Lord your God, with joy in everything to which you put your hand, because the Lord has given you his blessing.
You are not to do things then in the way in which we now do them here, every man as it seems right to him:
For you have not come to the rest and the heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.
But when you have gone over Jordan and are living in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as your heritage, and when he has given you rest from all those on every side who are fighting against you, and you are living there safely;
Then there will be a place marked out by the Lord your God as the resting-place for his name, and there you will take all the things which I give you orders to take: your burned offerings and other offerings, and the tenth part of your goods, and the offerings to be lifted up, and the offerings of your oaths which you make to the Lord;
And you will be glad before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, and your men-servants and your women-servants, and the Levite who is with you in your house, because he has no part or heritage among you.
Take care that you do not make your burned offerings in any place you see:
But in the place marked out by the Lord in one of your tribes, there let your burned offerings be offered, and there do what I have given you orders to do.
Only you may put to death animals, such as the gazelle or the roe, for your food in any of your towns, at the desire of your soul, in keeping with the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you: the unclean and the clean may take of it.
But you may not take the blood for food, it is to be drained out on the earth like water.
In your towns you are not to take as food the tenth part of your grain, or of your wine or your oil, or the first births of your herds or of your flocks, or anything offered under an oath, or freely offered to the Lord, or given as a lifted offering;
But they will be your food before the Lord your God in the place of his selection, where you may make a feast of them, with your son and your daughter, and your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite who is living with you: and you will have joy before the Lord your God in everything to which you put your hand.
See that you do not give up caring for the Levite as long as you are living in your land.
When the Lord your God makes wide the limit of your land, as he has said, and you say, I will take flesh for my food, because you have a desire for it; then you may take whatever flesh you have a desire for.
If the place marked out by the Lord your God as the resting-place for his name is far away from you, then take from your herds and from your flocks which the Lord has given you, as I have said, and have a meal of it in the towns where you may be living.
It will be your food, like the gazelle and the roe; the unclean and the clean may take of it.
But see that you do not take the blood for food; for the blood is the life; and you may not make use of the life as food with the flesh.
Do not take it for food but let it be drained out on the earth like water.
Do not take it for food; so that it may be well for you and for your children after you, while you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
But the holy things which you have, and the offerings of your oaths, you are to take to the place which will be marked out by the Lord:
Offering the flesh and the blood of your burned offerings on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your offerings is to be drained out on the altar of the Lord your God, and the flesh will be your food.
Take note of all these orders I am giving you and give attention to them, so that it may be well for you and for your children after you for ever, while you do what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.
When the people of the land where you are going have been cut off before you by the Lord your God, and you have taken their land and are living in it;
After their destruction take care that you do not go in their ways, and that you do not give thought to their gods, saying, How did these nations give worship to their gods? I will do as they did.
Do not so to the Lord your God: for everything which is disgusting to the Lord and hated by him they have done in honour of their gods: even burning their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
You are to keep with care all the words I give you, making no addition to them and taking nothing from them.
— Deuteronomy 12:1-1964, Bible in Basic English
“The Central Sanctuary These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess. You must by all means destroy all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods– on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, burn up their sacred Asherah poles, and cut down the images of their gods; you must eliminate their very memory from that place. You must not worship the LORD your God the way they worship. But you must seek only the place he chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence, and you must go there. And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. Both you and your families must feast there before the LORD your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he has blessed you. You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone doing what seems best to him, for you have not yet come to the final stop and inheritance the LORD your God is giving you. When you do go across the Jordan River and settle in the land he is granting you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you, you will live in safety. Then you must come to the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing everything I am commanding you– your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, and all your choice votive offerings which you devote to him. 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(since they have no allotment or inheritance with you). Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, for you may do so only in the place the LORD chooses in one of your tribal areas– there you may do everything I am commanding you. Regulations for Profane Slaughter On the other hand, you may slaughter and eat meat as you please when the LORD your God blesses you in all your villages. Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an ibex. However, you must not eat blood– pour it out on the ground like water. You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings. Only in the presence of the LORD your God may you eat these, in the place he chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the LORD your God in all the output of your labor. Be careful not to overlook the Levites as long as you live in the land. The Sanctity of Blood When the LORD your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say,“I want to eat meat just as I please,” you may do so as you wish. If the place he chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages just as you wish. Like you eat the gazelle or ibex, so you may eat these; the ritually impure and pure alike may eat them. However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself– you must not eat the life with the meat! You must not eat it! You must pour it out on the ground like water. You must not eat it so that it may go well with you and your children after you; you will be doing what is right in the LORD’s sight. Only the holy things and votive offerings that belong to you, you must pick up and take to the place the LORD will choose. You must offer your burnt offerings, both meat and blood, on the altar of the LORD your God; the blood of your other sacrifices you must pour out on his altar while you eat the meat. Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God. The Abomination of Pagan Gods When the LORD your God eliminates the nations from the place where you are headed and you dispossess them, you will settle down in their land. After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say,“How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.” You must not worship the LORD your God the way they do! For everything that is abhorrent to him, everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods! Idolatry and False Prophets(13:1) You must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it!”
These are the laws and the decisions which you are to keep with care in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to be your heritage all the days of your life on earth.
You are to give up to the curse all those places where the nations, whom you are driving out, gave worship to their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green tree:
Their altars and their pillars are to be broken down, and their holy trees burned with fire, and the images of their gods cut down; you are to take away their names out of that place.
Do not so to the Lord your God.
But let your hearts be turned to the place which will be marked out by the Lord your God, among your tribes, to put his name there;
And there you are to take your burned offerings and other offerings, and the tenth part of your goods, and the offerings to be lifted up to the Lord, and the offerings of your oaths, and those which you give freely from the impulse of your hearts, and the first births among your herds and your flocks;
There you and all your families are to make a feast before the Lord your God, with joy in everything to which you put your hand, because the Lord has given you his blessing.
You are not to do things then in the way in which we now do them here, every man as it seems right to him:
For you have not come to the rest and the heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.
But when you have gone over Jordan and are living in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as your heritage, and when he has given you rest from all those on every side who are fighting against you, and you are living there safely;
Then there will be a place marked out by the Lord your God as the resting-place for his name, and there you will take all the things which I give you orders to take: your burned offerings and other offerings, and the tenth part of your goods, and the offerings to be lifted up, and the offerings of your oaths which you make to the Lord;
And you will be glad before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, and your men-servants and your women-servants, and the Levite who is with you in your house, because he has no part or heritage among you.
Take care that you do not make your burned offerings in any place you see:
But in the place marked out by the Lord in one of your tribes, there let your burned offerings be offered, and there do what I have given you orders to do.
Only you may put to death animals, such as the gazelle or the roe, for your food in any of your towns, at the desire of your soul, in keeping with the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you: the unclean and the clean may take of it.
But you may not take the blood for food, it is to be drained out on the earth like water.
In your towns you are not to take as food the tenth part of your grain, or of your wine or your oil, or the first births of your herds or of your flocks, or anything offered under an oath, or freely offered to the Lord, or given as a lifted offering;
But they will be your food before the Lord your God in the place of his selection, where you may make a feast of them, with your son and your daughter, and your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite who is living with you: and you will have joy before the Lord your God in everything to which you put your hand.
See that you do not give up caring for the Levite as long as you are living in your land.
When the Lord your God makes wide the limit of your land, as he has said, and you say, I will take flesh for my food, because you have a desire for it; then you may take whatever flesh you have a desire for.
If the place marked out by the Lord your God as the resting-place for his name is far away from you, then take from your herds and from your flocks which the Lord has given you, as I have said, and have a meal of it in the towns where you may be living.
It will be your food, like the gazelle and the roe; the unclean and the clean may take of it.
But see that you do not take the blood for food; for the blood is the life; and you may not make use of the life as food with the flesh.
Do not take it for food but let it be drained out on the earth like water.
Do not take it for food; so that it may be well for you and for your children after you, while you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
But the holy things which you have, and the offerings of your oaths, you are to take to the place which will be marked out by the Lord:
Offering the flesh and the blood of your burned offerings on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your offerings is to be drained out on the altar of the Lord your God, and the flesh will be your food.
Take note of all these orders I am giving you and give attention to them, so that it may be well for you and for your children after you for ever, while you do what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.
When the people of the land where you are going have been cut off before you by the Lord your God, and you have taken their land and are living in it;
After their destruction take care that you do not go in their ways, and that you do not give thought to their gods, saying, How did these nations give worship to their gods? I will do as they did.
Do not so to the Lord your God: for everything which is disgusting to the Lord and hated by him they have done in honour of their gods: even burning their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
You are to keep with care all the words I give you, making no addition to them and taking nothing from them.