< Deuteronomy 13 >

1 If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder,
If there rise in the midst of thee a prophet or one that saith he hath dreamed a dream, and he foretell a sign and a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods" (which you have not known) "and let us serve them";
And that come to pass which he spoke, and he say to thee: Let us go and follow strange gods, which thou knowest not, and let us serve them:
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams: for YHWH your God proves you, to know whether you love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Thou shalt not hear the words of that prophet or dreamer: for the Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, or not.
4 You shall walk after YHWH your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cling to him.
Follow the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and hear his voice: him you shall serve, and to him you shall cleave.
5 That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which YHWH your God commanded you to walk in. So you shall put away the evil from the midst of you.
And that prophet or forger of dreams shall be slain: because he spoke to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage: to make thee go out of the way, which the Lord thy God commanded thee: and thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee.
6 If your brother, the son of your father, or the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your friend who is closest to you, entice you secretly, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which you have not known, you, nor your fathers;
If thy brother the son of thy mother, or thy son, or daughter, or thy wife that is in thy bosom, or thy friend, whom thou lovest as thy own soul, would persuade thee secretly, saying: Let us go, and serve strange gods, which thou knowest not, nor thy fathers,
7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth;
Of all the nations round about, that are near or afar off, from one end of the earth to the other,
8 you shall not consent to him, nor listen to him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him:
Consent not to him, hear him not, neither let thy eye spare him to pity and conceal him,
9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
But thou shalt presently put him to death. It Let thy hand be first upon him, and afterwards the hands of all the people.
10 You shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
With stones shall he be stoned to death: because he would have withdrawn thee from the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage:
11 All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more such wickedness as this is in the midst of you.
That all Israel hearing may fear, and may do no more any thing like this.
12 If you shall hear tell concerning one of your cities, which YHWH your God gives you to dwell there, saying,
If in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God shall give thee to dwell in, thou hear some say:
13 Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of you, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which you have not known;
Children of Belial are gone out of the midst of thee, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, and have said: Let us go, and serve strange gods which you know not:
14 then you shall inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, look, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in the midst of you,
Inquire carefully and diligently, the truth of the thing by looking well into it, and if thou find that which is said to be certain, and that this abomination hath been really committed,
15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
Thou shalt forthwith kill the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, and shalt destroy it and all things that are in it, even the cattle.
16 You shall gather all its plunder into the midst of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to YHWH your God: and it shall be a ruin forever; it shall not be built again.
And all the household goods that are there, thou shalt gather together in the midst of the streets thereof, and shalt burn them with the city itself, so as to consume all for the Lord thy God, and that it be a heap for ever: it shall be built no more.
17 Nothing of the devoted thing shall cling to your hand; that YHWH may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show you mercy, and have compassion on you, and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers;
And there shall nothing of that anathema stick to thy hand: that the Lord may turn from the wrath of his fury, and may have mercy on thee, and multiply thee as he swore to thy fathers,
18 when you shall listen to the voice of YHWH your God, to keep all his commandments which I command you this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of YHWH your God.
When thou shalt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, keeping all his precepts, which I command thee this day, that thou mayst do what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord thy God.

< Deuteronomy 13 >