Deuteronomy 13
1 If there arise amog you a prophet or a dreamer of dreames, (and giue thee a signe or wonder,
Maybe a prophet or someone who has dreams about the future comes along and gives you a prediction you about some sign or miracle,
2 And the signe and the wonder, which hee hath tolde thee, come to passe) saying, Let vs go after other gods, which thou hast not knowen, and let vs serue them,
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,”
3 Thou shalt not hearken vnto the wordes of the prophet, or vnto that dreamer of dreames: for the Lord your God prooueth you, to knowe whether ye loue the Lord your God with al your heart, and with all your soule.
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.
4 Yee shall walke after the Lord your God and feare him, and shall keepe his commandements, and hearken vnto his voyce, and yee shall serue him, and cleaue vnto him.
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.
5 But that prophet, or that dreamer of dreames, he shall be slaine, because hee hath spoken to turne you away from the Lord your God (which brought you out of the lande of Egypt, and deliuered you out of the house of bodage) to thrust thee out of the way, wherein the Lord thy God commanded thee to walke: so shalt thou take the euill away foorth of the middes of thee.
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.
6 If thy brother, the sonne of thy mother, or thine owne sonne, or thy daughter, or the wife, that lyeth in thy bosome, or thy friend, which is as thine owne soule, intice thee secretly, saying, Let vs goe and serue other gods, (which thou hast not knowen, thou, I say, nor thy fathers)
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,
7 Any of the gods of the people which are round about you, neere vnto thee or farre off from thee, from the one ende of the earth vnto ye other:
the gods of your pagan nation neighbors, whether they love close by or far away in any direction,
8 Thou shalt not cosent vnto him, nor heare him, neither shall thine eye pitie him, nor shewe mercie, nor keepe him secret:
don't give into them or listen to them. Show them no mercy. Don't spare them or protect them.
9 But thou shalt euen kill him: thine hand shall be first vpon him to put him to death, and then the handes of all the people.
No, you absolutely must kill them! You start killing them, and then have everyone else help.
10 And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he dye (because he hath gone about to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of ye land of Egypt, from ye house of bondage)
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.
11 That all Israel may heare and feare, and doe no more any such wickednesse as this among you.
Then every Israelite will hear about it and be afraid, and won't ever do such an evil thing among you.
12 If thou shalt heare say (concerning any of thy cities which the Lord thy God hath giuen thee to dwell in)
It may happen that once you're living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you hear
13 Wicked men are gone out from among you, and haue drawen away the inhabitants of their citie, saying, Let vs go and serue other gods, which ye haue not knowen,
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.
14 Then thou shalt seeke, and make searche and enquire diligently: and if it be true, and the thing certaine, that such abomination is wrought among you,
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,
15 Thou shalt euen slay the inhabitants of that citie with the edge of the sworde: destroy it vtterly, and all that is therein, and the cattel thereof with the edge of the sworde.
then you have to kill the people living in that town with the sword. Set apart for destruction its people and its livestock.
16 And thou shalt gather all the spoyle of it into the middes of the streete thereof, and burne with fire the citie and all the spoyle thereof euery whit, vnto the Lord thy God: and it shall be an heape for euer: it shall not be built againe.
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.
17 And there shall cleaue nothing of ye damned thing to thine hand, that the Lord may turne from the fiercenes of his wrath, and shewe thee mercie, and haue compassion on thee and multiplie thee, as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers:
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,
18 When thou shalt obey the voyce of the Lord thy God, and keepe all his commandements which I command thee this day, that thou do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God.
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.
