Deuteronomy 12:16-25

English Standard Version

¹⁶^(A)Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. ¹⁷You may not eat within your towns ^(B)the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, ¹⁸but ^(C)you shall eat them before the Lord your God in ^(D)the place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And ^(E)you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake. ¹⁹^(F)Take care that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.

²⁰“When the Lord your God ^(G)enlarges your territory, ^(H)as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire. ²¹If ^(I)the place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, ^(J)then you may kill any of your herd or your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your towns whenever you desire. ²²Just ^(K)as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. ^(L)The unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. ²³^(M)Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, ^(N)for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. ²⁴You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. ²⁵You shall not eat it, ^(O)that all may go well with you and with your children after you, ^(P)when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.

Read full chapter

Deuteronomy 12:16-25

New International Version

¹⁶But you must not eat the blood;^(A) pour^(B) it out on the ground like water.^(C) ¹⁷You must not eat in your own towns the tithe^(D) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,^(E) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,^(F) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.^(G) ¹⁸Instead, you are to eat^(H) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose^(I)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice^(J) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. ¹⁹Be careful not to neglect the Levites^(K) as long as you live in your land.^(L)

²⁰When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory^(M) as he promised^(N) you, and you crave meat^(O) and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want. ²¹If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name^(P) is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want.^(Q) ²²Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.^(R) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. ²³But be sure you do not eat the blood,^(S) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.^(T) ²⁴You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^(U) ²⁵Do not eat it, so that it may go well^(V) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right^(W) in the eyes of the Lord.