Deuteronomy 13

1 Maybe a prophet or someone who has dreams about the future comes along and gives you a prediction you about some sign or miracle,

And if there arise within you a prophet, or one who dreams a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

2 and the sign or wonder does happens. If after that they tell you, “Let's follow other gods that you don't know, and let's worship them,”

and the sign or the wonder come to pass which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you know not;

3 then you must not listen to what that prophet or dreamer has to say because the Lord your God is trying to find out whether you really love him with all your mind and with all your being.

you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or the dreamer of that dream, because the Lord your God tries you, to know whether you love your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

4 You are to follow the Lord your God and respect him. Keep his commandments and do what he says; worship him and hold onto him.

You shall follow the Lord your God, and fear him, and you shall hear his voice, and attach yourselves to him.

5 These kinds of prophet or dreamer must be executed, because they have promoted rebellion against the Lord your God, who led you out of Egypt and rescued you from the prison-house of slavery. They have tried to lead you from the way that the Lord your God has ordered you to follow. You must eliminate the evil among you.

And that prophet or that dreamer of a dream, shall die; for he has spoken to make you err from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, who redeemed you from bondage, to thrust you out of the way which the Lord your God commanded you to walk in: so shall you abolish the evil from amongst you.

6 Even if your own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your best friend secretly encourages you, saying, “Let's go and worship other gods” unfamiliar to you and your forefathers,

And if your brother by your father or mother, or your son, or daughter, or your wife in your bosom, or friend who is equal to your own soul, entreat you secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known,

7 the gods of your pagan nation neighbors, whether they love close by or far away in any direction,

of the gods of the nations that are round about you, who are near you or at a distance from you, from one end of the earth to the other;

8 don't give into them or listen to them. Show them no mercy. Don't spare them or protect them.

you shall not consent to him, neither shall you listen to him; and your eye shall not spare him, you shall feel no regret for him, neither shall you at all protect him:

9 No, you absolutely must kill them! You start killing them, and then have everyone else help.

you shall surely report concerning him, and your hands shall be upon him amongst the first to kill him, and the hands of all the people at the last.

10 Stone the person to death for trying lead you away from the Lord your God, who led you out of Egypt, out of the prison-house of slavery.

And they shall stone him with stones, and he shall die, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

11 Then every Israelite will hear about it and be afraid, and won't ever do such an evil thing among you.

And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not again do according to this evil thing amongst you.

12 It may happen that once you're living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you hear

And if in one of your cities which the Lord God gives you to dwell therein, you shall hear men saying,

13 that evil people have taken over in one of your towns and have led the people there astray, telling them, “Let's go and worship other gods” that you don't know.

Evil men have gone out from you, and have caused all the inhabitants of their land to fall away, saying, Let us go and worship other gods, whom you knew not,

14 If this does happen you need to make a full investigation, inquiring about the facts and interrogating witnesses. If it's proved beyond doubt that this awful sin has actually been committed among you,

then you shall enquire and ask, and search diligently, and behold, [if] the thing is clearly true, and this abomination has taken place amongst you,

15 then you have to kill the people living in that town with the sword. Set apart for destruction its people and its livestock.

you shall utterly destroy all the dwellers in that land with the edge of the sword; you shall solemnly curse it, and all things in it.

16 You must pile up all the people's possessions in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the town and everything in it as a complete burnt offering to the Lord your God. The town must remain a heap of ruins forever. It must never be rebuilt.

And all its spoils you shall gather into its public ways, and you shall burn the city with fire, and all its spoils publicly before the Lord your God; and it shall be uninhabited for ever, it shall not be built again.

17 Don't take for yourselves anything that has been set apart for destruction so that the Lord won't be angry any more. He will be merciful to you, showing you compassion, and giving you many descendants as he promised to your forefathers,

And there shall nothing of the cursed thing cleave to your hand, that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger, and show you mercy, and pity you, and multiply you, as he sware to your fathers;

18 because you are obeying the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I'm giving you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

if you will hear the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments, all that I charge you this day, to do that which is good and pleasing before the Lord your God.