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,
If there arise among you a prophet, or one that dreameth dreams, and he give thee 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 that he told unto thee, when he said, Let us go after other gods, whom thou hast not known, and let us serve them,
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.
— thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for Jehovah your God proveth you, to know whether ye love Jehovah 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.
Ye shall walk after Jehovah your God, and ye shall fear him, and his commandments shall ye keep, and his voice shall ye hear; and ye shall serve him, and unto him shall ye cleave.
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 dreams, shall be put to death; for he hath spoken revolt against Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, — to draw thee out of the way that Jehovah thy God commanded thee to walk in; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.
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,
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, who is to thee as thy soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods (whom thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
7 the gods of your pagan nation neighbors, whether they love close by or far away in any direction,
of the gods of the peoples which are round about you, near unto thee, or far from thee, from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth),
8 don't give into them or listen to them. Show them no mercy. Don't spare them or protect them.
thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye spare him, neither shalt thou pity him, neither shalt thou screen him,
9 No, you absolutely must kill them! You start killing them, and then have everyone else help.
but thou shalt in any case kill him: thy hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people;
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 thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; for he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God who brought thee 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 do no more any such wicked thing as this in thy midst.
12 It may happen that once you're living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you hear
If in one of thy cities, which Jehovah thy God hath given thee to dwell there, thou hearest, 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.
There are men, children of Belial, gone out from among you, and they have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, whom ye have not known;
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 shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and if it be truth, [and] the thing be certain, that this abomination hath happened in the midst of thee,
15 then you have to kill the people living in that town with the sword. Set apart for destruction its people and its livestock.
thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, devoting it to destruction, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
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 the spoil of it shalt thou gather into the midst of the open place thereof, and shalt burn the city with fire, and all the spoil thereof, wholly to Jehovah thy God; and it shall be a heap 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 thou shalt not let anything cleave to thy hand of the devoted thing; that Jehovah may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy 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.
when thou hearkenest to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, that thou mayest do what is right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.
