Vieta, kur kalpot Dievam
1 Šie ir likumi un tiesas, kas jums jāpilda zemē, ko Kungs, jūsu Dievs, dod jums iemantot, – visas dienas, ko jūs dzīvojat tajā zemē. 2 Postīt nopostiet visas vietas, kur tās tautas, ko jūs padzināt, kalpojušas saviem dieviem – kalnos, augstienēs un zem katra zaļoksna koka! 3 Nojauciet visus viņu altārus, sadragājiet visus viņu elku stabus, sadedziniet ugunī viņu ašēras, nocērtiet viņu dievu tēlus un izdeldējiet to vārdus no turienes!
4 Tādas lietas nedariet Kungam, savam Dievam, 5 bet gan meklējiet un ejiet uz to vietu, ko Kungs, jūsu Dievs, no jūsu ciltīm izvēlējies, lai liktu tur savu vārdu. 6 Tur pienesiet savus sadedzināmos upurus, kaujamos upurus, desmitās tiesas un cilājamos upurus, solījuma upurus, labprātīgos upurus un liellopu un sīklopu pirmdzimtos. 7 Ēdiet tur Kunga, sava Dieva, priekšā, un priecājieties kopā ar saviem namiem par visu, ko jūsu rokas veikušas, ko Kungs, jūsu Dievs, ir svētījis.
8 Nedariet neko no tā, ko mēs darām šeit un šodien – te ikviens dara, kas pašam šķiet pareizi, 9 jo līdz šim jūs vēl neesat nonākuši miera vietā, mantojumā, ko Kungs, jūsu Dievs, jums dod. 10 Pārcelieties pār Jardānu un dzīvojiet zemē, ko Kungs, jūsu Dievs, dod jums mantojumā, atbrīvodams jūs no visiem ienaidniekiem, kas ir visapkārt, lai jūs varētu dzīvot drošībā. 11 Tajā vietā, ko Kungs, jūsu Dievs, izvēlēsies, lai liktu tur mājot savam vārdam, pienesiet visu, ko es jums pavēlu, – sadedzināmos upurus, kaujamos upurus, desmitās tiesas, cilājamos upurus un vislabākos no saviem solījuma upuriem, ko jūs pienesat Kungam. 12 Priecājieties Kunga, sava Dieva, priekšā – jūs un jūsu dēli, meitas, vergi un verdzenes, un levīti, kas mīt jūsu pilsētās un kam nav savas daļas un mantojuma kā jums. 13 Piesargieties, ka neupurējat savus sadedzināmos upurus ik vietā, ko redzat! 14 Tikai tajā vietā, ko Kungs pats izvēlēsies vienā no jūsu ciltīm, – tur upurējiet savus sadedzināmos upurus un dariet visu, ko es jums pavēlu.
15 Kad vien tev kārojas, kauj un ēd gaļu kā Kunga, tava Dieva, svētību, ko viņš tev devis it visur, kur tu mīti. Nešķīstais lai to ēd kopā ar šķīsto – gan stirnu, gan briedi. 16 Taču asinis neēd, tās izlej zemē kā ūdeni! 17 Desmito tiesu no savas labības, jaunvīna, eļļas, no savu liellopu un sīklopu pirmdzimtajiem, no saviem solījuma upuriem, ko esi solījis, un no saviem labprātīgajiem upuriem un cilājamiem upuriem neēd tur, kur tu mīti, bet 18 ēd to Kunga, sava Dieva, priekšā tajā vietā, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, izvēlēsies, – tu un tavs dēls, meita, vergs, verdzene un levīts, kas mīt pie tevis, un Kunga, sava Dieva, priekšā priecājies par visu, ko tavas rokas paveikušas! 19 Sargies, ka neaizmirsti levītus – nekad, kamēr tu dzīvo savā zemē!
20 Kad Kungs, tavs Dievs, paplašinās tavas robežas, kā viņš solījis, un tu teiksi: nu ēdīšu gaļu! – jo tev kārosies gaļas, tad ēd gaļu ik reizi, kad tev kārojas! 21 Ja no tevis būs tālu tā vieta, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, izvēlējies, lai liktu tur mājot savam vārdam, tad kauj savus liellopus un sīklopus, ko Kungs tev devis, kā es tev pavēlēju, un ēd tur, kur tu mīti, vienmēr, kad tev kārojas, 22 taču ēd to, kā ēd stirnu vai briedi, – nešķīstais lai ēd kopā ar šķīsto! 23 Pielūko, neēd asinis, jo asinis ir dzīvība, neapēd dzīvību kopā ar gaļu! 24 Neēd tās, izlej zemē kā ūdeni! 25 Neēd tās, lai būtu labi tev un taviem dēliem pēc tevis – jo tad tu būsi darījis to, kas Kungam šķiet taisns! 26 Vienīgi savus svētumus, kas tev būs, un savus solījuma upurus ņem un ej uz to vietu, ko Kungs būs izvēlējies. 27 Un upurē savus sadedzināmos upurus – asinis un gaļu – Kunga, sava Dieva, altārī, un tavu upuru asinis lai tiek izlietas pār Kunga, tava Dieva, altāri, bet gaļu tu apēd! 28 Ievēro un klausi visiem šiem vārdiem, ko es tev pavēlu, lai vienmēr būtu labi gan tev, gan taviem pēcnācējiem pēc tevis; tā būs, ja tu darīsi to, kas Kungam, tavam Dievam, šķiet labs un taisns.
29 Kad Kungs, tavs Dievs, iznīdēs tās tautas, kurp tu ej, un padzīs tās tavā priekšā un tu būsi padzinis tos un iemantojis viņu zemi, 30 tad sargies, ka nekrīti lamatās, sekodams tiem pēc tam, kad tie tavā priekšā būs iznīcināti, – nesāc sekot viņu dieviem, sacīdams: kā šīs tautas kalpoja saviem dieviem, tā darīšu arī es! 31 Nenodari Kungam, savam Dievam, to, kas Kungam riebj, kā viņi ir darījuši saviem dieviem, ko Kungs nīst, – pat savus dēlus un meitas tie dedzinājuši ugunī saviem dieviem!
The One Place for Worship
1 “Here are the laws that you are to obey as long as you live in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Listen to them! 2 In the land that you are taking, destroy all the places where the people worship their gods on high mountains, on hills, and under green trees. 3 Tear down their altars and smash their sacred stone pillars to pieces. Burn their symbols of the goddess Asherah and chop down their idols, so that they will never again be worshiped at those places.
4 “Do not worship the Lord your God in the way that these people worship their gods. 5 Out of the territory of all your tribes the Lord will choose the one place where the people are to come into his presence and worship him. 6 There you are to offer your sacrifices that are to be burned and your other sacrifices, your tithes and your offerings, the gifts that you promise to the Lord, your freewill offerings, and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. 7 There, in the presence of the Lord your God, who has blessed you, you and your families will eat and enjoy the good things that you have worked for.
8 “When that time comes, you must not do as you have been doing. Until now you have all been worshiping as you please, 9 because you have not yet entered the land that the Lord your God is giving you, where you can live in peace. 10 When you cross the Jordan River, the Lord will let you occupy the land and live there. He will keep you safe from all your enemies, and you will live in peace. 11 The Lord will choose a single place where he is to be worshiped, and there you must bring to him everything that I have commanded: your sacrifices that are to be burned and your other sacrifices, your tithes and your offerings, and those special gifts that you have promised to the Lord. 12 Be joyful there in his presence, together with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns; remember that the Levites will have no land of their own. 13 You are not to offer your sacrifices wherever you choose; 14 you must offer them only in the one place that the Lord will choose in the territory of one of your tribes. Only there are you to offer your sacrifices that are to be burned and do all the other things that I have commanded you.
15 “But you are free to kill and eat your animals wherever you live. You may eat as many as the Lord gives you. All of you, whether ritually clean or unclean, may eat them, just as you would eat the meat of deer or antelope. 16 But you must not eat their blood; you must pour it out on the ground like water. 17 Nothing that you offer to the Lord is to be eaten in the places where you live: neither the tithes of your grain, your wine, or your olive oil, nor the first-born of your cattle and sheep, the gifts that you promise to the Lord, your freewill offerings, or any other offerings. 18 You and your children, together with your servants and the Levites who live in your towns, are to eat these offerings only in the presence of the Lord your God, in the one place of worship chosen by the Lord your God. And you are to be happy there over everything that you have done. 19 Be sure, also, not to neglect the Levites, as long as you live in your land.
20 “When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised, you may eat meat whenever you want to. 21 If the one place of worship is too far away, then, whenever you wish, you may kill any of the cattle or sheep that the Lord has given you, and you may eat the meat at home, as I have told you. 22 Anyone, ritually clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as he would eat the meat of deer or antelope. 23 Only do not eat meat with blood still in it, for the life is in the blood, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 Do not use the blood for food; instead, pour it out on the ground like water. 25 If you obey this command, the Lord will be pleased, and all will go well for you and your descendants. 26 Take to the one place of worship your offerings and the gifts that you have promised the Lord. 27 Offer there the sacrifices which are to be completely burned on the Lord's altar. Also offer those sacrifices in which you eat the meat and pour the blood out on the altar. 28 Obey faithfully everything that I have commanded you, and all will go well for you and your descendants forever, because you will be doing what is right and what pleases the Lord your God.
Warning against Idolatry
29 “The Lord your God will destroy the nations as you invade their land, and you will occupy it and settle there. 30 After the Lord destroys those nations, make sure that you don't follow their religious practices, because that would be fatal. Don't try to find out how they worship their gods, so that you can worship in the same way. 31 Do not worship the Lord your God in the way they worship their gods, for in the worship of their gods they do all the disgusting things that the Lord hates. They even sacrifice their children in the fires on their altars.
32 “Do everything that I have commanded you; do not add anything to it or take anything from it.
