Deuteronomy 12:16

THE MESSAGE

But you may not eat the blood. Pour the blood out on the ground like water. Nor may you eat there the tithe of your grain, new wine, or olive oil; nor the firstborn of your herds and flocks; nor any of the Vow-Offerings that you vow; nor your Freewill-Offerings and Tribute-Offerings. All these you must eat in the Presence of God , your God, in the place God , your God, chooses—you, your son and daughter, your servant and maid, and the Levite who lives in your neighborhood. You are to celebrate in the Presence of God , your God, all the things you've been able to accomplish.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

Hebrew Names Version
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the eretz as water.

King James Version
Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

Lexham English Bible
Only the blood you must not eat, but on the ground you must pour it like water.

English Standard Version
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water.

New Century Version
but do not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.

New English Translation
However, you must not eat blood—pour it out on the ground like water.

Amplified Bible
"Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

New American Standard Bible
"Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Onely ye shal not eat the blood, but powre it vpon the earth as water.

Legacy Standard Bible
Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Complete Jewish Bible
But don't eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.

Darby Translation
Only, ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

Easy-to-Read Version
But you must not eat the blood. You must pour the blood on the ground like water.

George Lamsa Translation
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out upon the earth like water.

Good News Translation
But you must not eat their blood; you must pour it out on the ground like water.

Literal Translation
Only, you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it as water on the earth.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
onely the bloude shalt thou not eate, but poure it out as water vpon the earth.

American Standard Version
Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.

Bible in Basic English
But you may not take the blood for food, it is to be drained out on the earth like water.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Only ye shall not eate the blood, but powre it vpon the earth as water.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.

King James Version (1611)
Onely ye shall not eat the blood: yee shall powre it vpon the earth as water.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it out on the ground as water.

English Revised Version
Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.

Berean Standard Bible
but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
which thou schalt schede out as watir on the erthe.

Young's Literal Translation
`Only, the blood ye do not eat -- on the earth thou dost pour it as water;

Update Bible Version
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth as water.

Webster's Bible Translation
Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

World English Bible
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth as water.

New King James Version
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water.

New Living Translation
But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

New Life Bible
Only do not eat the blood. You are to pour it out on the ground like water.

New Revised Standard
The blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Howbeit, the blood, shall ye not eat, - upon the earth, shalt thou pour it out, like water.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Only the blood thou shalt not eat, but thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.

Revised Standard Version
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out upon the earth like water.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Contextual Overview

⁵Instead find the site that God , your God, will choose and mark it with his name as a common center for all the tribes of Israel. Assemble there. Bring to that place your Absolution-Offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and Tribute-Offerings, your Vow-Offerings, your Freewill-Offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. Feast there in the Presence of God , your God. Celebrate everything that you and your families have accomplished under the blessing of God , your God. ⁸Don't continue doing things the way we're doing them at present, each of us doing as we wish. Until now you haven't arrived at the goal, the resting place, the inheritance that God , your God, is giving you. But the minute you cross the Jordan River and settle into the land God , your God, is enabling you to inherit, he'll give you rest from all your surrounding enemies. You'll be able to settle down and live in safety. ¹¹From then on, at the place that God , your God, chooses to mark with his name as the place where you can meet him, bring everything that I command you: your Absolution-Offerings and sacrifices, tithes and Tribute-Offerings, and the best of your Vow-Offerings that you vow to God . Celebrate there in the Presence of God , your God, you and your sons and daughters, your servants and maids, including the Levite living in your neighborhood because he has no place of his own in your inheritance. ¹³Be extra careful: Don't offer your Absolution-Offerings just any place that strikes your fancy. Offer your Absolution-Offerings only in the place that God chooses in one of your tribal regions. There and only there are you to bring all that I command you. ¹⁵ It's permissible to slaughter your nonsacrificial animals like gazelle and deer in your towns and eat all you want from them with the blessing of God , your God. Both the ritually clean and unclean may eat. ¹⁶But you may not eat the blood. Pour the blood out on the ground like water. Nor may you eat there the tithe of your grain, new wine, or olive oil; nor the firstborn of your herds and flocks; nor any of the Vow-Offerings that you vow; nor your Freewill-Offerings and Tribute-Offerings. All these you must eat in the Presence of God , your God, in the place God , your God, chooses—you, your son and daughter, your servant and maid, and the Levite who lives in your neighborhood. You are to celebrate in the Presence of God , your God, all the things you've been able to accomplish. ¹⁹ And make sure that for as long as you live on your land you never, never neglect the Levite. ²⁰When God , your God, expands your territory as he promised he would do, and you say, "I'm hungry for meat," because you happen to be craving meat at the time, go ahead and eat as much meat as you want. If you're too far away from the place that God , your God, has marked with his name, it's all right to slaughter animals from your herds and flocks that God has given you, as I've commanded you. In your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. Just as the nonsacrificial animals like the gazelle and deer are eaten, you may eat them; the ritually unclean and clean may eat them at the same table. ²³Only this: Absolutely no blood. Don't eat the blood. Blood is life; don't eat the life with the meat. Don't eat it; pour it out on the ground like water. Don't eat it; then you'll have a good life, you and your children after you. By all means, do the right thing in God 's eyes. ²⁶And this: Lift high your Holy-Offerings and your Vow-Offerings and bring them to the place God designates. Sacrifice your Absolution-Offerings, the meat and blood, on the Altar of God , your God; pour out the blood of the Absolution-Offering on the Altar of God , your God; then you can go ahead and eat the meat.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 12:23, Deuteronomy 12:24, Deuteronomy 15:23, Genesis 9:4 Leviticus 7:26, Leviticus 7:27, Leviticus 17:10-13, Acts 15:29, 1 Timothy 4:4

Reciprocal: Leviticus 3:17 - blood Leviticus 17:13 - pour out Deuteronomy 12:22 - General 1 Samuel 14:32 - did eat Ezekiel 24:7 - she poured Ezekiel 33:25 - Ye eat Acts 15:20 - things

Cross-References

Genesis 12:14
When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.

Genesis 20:14
Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and along with her sent sheep and cattle and servants, both male and female. He said, "My land is open to you; live wherever you wish."

Job 42:12
God blessed Job's later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first daughter Dove, the second, Cinnamon, and the third, Darkeyes. There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Only ye shall not eat the blood,.... All manner of blood being forbidden, of fowl or of beasts, whether slain for sacrifice or for common food:

ye shall pour it out upon the earth as water; which cannot be gathered up again for use, but is swallowed up in the earth.