Moses kept speaking to the people, reminding them of the laws and all the Lord has done. He knew he was about to die, so he spoke deeply, leaving no stone unthorned. He said to them, "These are the laws and commands you must carefully follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you to possess, as long as you live there. When you enter, destroy completely every place where the nations you drive out worship their gods—on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, burn their Asherah poles, and cut down their idols. Wipe out their names from those places. You must never worship the Lord your God in their way."
"Instead," he continued, "you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose among all your tribes to put His Name there and make it His dwelling. That is where you must go. Bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families will eat and rejoice in all that you have done, for the Lord has blessed you."
"You must not do as we do here today, where everyone does as they please, for you have not yet reached the resting place the Lord your God is giving you. But when you cross the Jordan and settle in the land, He will give you rest from all your enemies, and you will live in safety. Then you must bring everything I command to the place the Lord will choose for His Name—the burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, and special gifts—and rejoice there with your sons, daughters, servants, and the Levites who live among you, for they have no share or inheritance of their own."
"Be careful not to offer your burnt sacrifices anywhere you wish. Offer them only in the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and do everything as I command you. However, you may kill and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, just as you would eat gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it. But never eat the blood—pour it out on the ground like water."
"You must not eat the tithe of your grain, new wine, or oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or any offerings you have vowed, in your own towns. These you must eat before the Lord your God in the place He will choose—you, your family, and the Levites among you. Rejoice in all you do before the Lord, and never neglect the Levites as long as you live."
"When the Lord enlarges your territory as He promised and you crave meat, saying, 'I want some meat,' you may eat as much as you want. If the chosen place of the Lord is too far away, you may slaughter animals He has given you and eat within your towns, as I have commanded, just as you would eat gazelle or deer. But again, do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the meat. Pour it out on the ground like water, and it will go well with you and your children, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord."
"Take your holy offerings and what you have vowed to give, and go to the place the Lord will choose. Offer your burnt sacrifices—the meat and the blood—on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar, but you may eat the meat. Be careful to obey all these commands, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the Lord's sight."
"When the Lord your God destroys the nations before you and you take their land, be careful not to be trapped by their ways. Do not ask, 'How did these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.' You must not worship the Lord your God that way, for they do detestable things the Lord hates—even burning their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods. So be sure to obey all that I command you. Do not add to it or take away from it."