Verses 17-18 are one sentence. As distinct from eating meat wherever they lived, the Israelites could not eat at home any of the offerings listed; all these had to be eaten at the central sanctuary. In many languages it will be necessary to divide this long sentence into at least three sentences (see Good News Translation).

You may not eat within your towns: as in verse 15, this is equivalent to saying “You may not eat at home.” For the sacrificial slaughter of their animals, the Israelites will have to leave home and go to the one sanctuary.

The tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil: see 7.13. These were the three main agricultural products. For the law of the tithe (verses 6 and 11), see Lev 27.30-32. Alternative translation models are “one-tenth of your grain or…,” or even “One kilogram [or whatever measure is commonly used] for every ten that you produce, or one liter [or gallon] of wine or olive oil for every ten that you produce.”

The firstlings of your herd or of your flock: see verse 6.

Votive offerings … freewill offerings … the offering that you present: see verse 6.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .