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,

“Possibly there will be people among you who [say that they] are prophets. They may say that they are able to interpret the meaning of dreams or perform various kinds of miracles [DOU].

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,”

They will say those things in order to induce/persuade you to worship gods that you have never known about before. But even if what they predict happens,

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.

do not pay attention to what they say. Yahweh our God will be testing you to find out if you love him with all your inner being.

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 must conduct your lives as Yahweh our God wants you to, and you must revere him, and do what he tells you to do [MTY], and worship only him, and (be faithful to/have a close relationship with) 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.

“But you must execute anyone who [falsely says that he] is a prophet, or someone who [falsely] says that he can interpret dreams, or who tells you to rebel against Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt. People like that are only wanting to cause you to stop conducting your lives as Yahweh has commanded you to do. Execute them, to get rid of this evil among 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,

It does not matter if even your brother or your daughter or your wife or some close/dear friend secretly urges you, saying ‘Let’s worship other gods. They are gods which you or your ancestors have never known about.

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

Some of them may encourage you to worship gods that people-groups that live near you worship, or gods that groups who live far away worship.

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

Do not [SYN] do what they suggest. Do not even listen to them. Do not even be merciful to them, and do not keep secret what they have done.

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

Execute them! You [who are their relative] must be the first one to [throw stones at them to] kill them, and then let everyone else [MTY] throw stones at them, too.

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.

Kill such people by throwing stones at them, because they are trying to cause you to stop worshiping Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt.

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

When they are executed, all the Israeli people will hear [what happened], and they will become afraid, and none of them will do such an evil thing again.

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

“When you are living in one of the towns in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, you may hear

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.

that some worthless people there among you [IDM] are deceiving the people of their town, saying, ‘Let’s go and worship other gods,’ but they are gods that you have never heard about before.

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,

Investigate it thoroughly/carefully. If [you find out that] it is true that such a disgraceful thing has happened,

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

kill all the people in that town. And kill all their livestock, too. Destroy the town completely.

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.

Gather all the possessions that belonged to the people who lived there and pile them up in the city plaza. Then burn the town and everything in it, as though it were an offering to Yahweh that would be completely burned [on the altar]. The ruins/ashes must stay there forever; the town must never be rebuilt.

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,

None of you Israelis must take for yourselves [IDM] anything that Yahweh has said must be destroyed. But if you do what I say, Yahweh will stop being angry with you, and he will act mercifully toward you. And he will cause you to have many children/descendants, which is what he promised our ancestors that he would do.

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.

Yahweh our God will do all those things if you do what he is telling you to do, and if you obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do].”