8. “You must not continue to worship the way we have been worshiping. Until now each of us has been worshiping God any way we wanted.
9. This is because we have not yet entered the peaceful land that the Lord your God is giving you.
10. But you will go across the Jordan River and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. There he will give you rest from all your enemies, and you will be safe.
11. Then the Lord your God will choose a place that will be the home for his name. You must bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your crops and animals, your special gifts, and any gifts that you promised to give to the Lord.
12. Come to that place with all your people—your children, all your servants, and the Levites living in your towns. (These Levites will not have a share of the land for their own.) Enjoy yourselves together there with the Lord your God.
13. Be sure you don’t offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see.
14. The Lord will choose his special place among your tribes. Offer your burnt offerings and do everything else I told you only in that place.
15. “Whenever you want to eat meat, you can enjoy that blessing from the Lord your God wherever you live. You can butcher the animal just as you do gazelles and deer, and anyone, clean or unclean, can eat it.
16. But you must not eat the blood. You must pour the blood on the ground like water.
17. “Also, the things you are offering to God must not be eaten where you live. These include the part of your grain that belongs to God, the part of your new wine and oil that belongs to God, the first animals born in your herd or flock, any gift that you promised to God, any special gifts you want to give, or any other gifts for God.