< Deuteronomy 13 >
1 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other deities” (which you have not known) “and let us abad ·serve· them;”
3 you shall not sh'ma ·hear obey· the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for Adonai your God is testing you, to know whether you 'ahav ·affectionately love· Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 You shall walk after Adonai your God, fear him, keep his mitzvot ·instructions·, and sh'ma ·hear obey· his voice, and you shall abad ·serve· him, and dabak ·cling to, worship· him.
5 That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which Adonai your God enjoined you to walk in. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
6 If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, “Let us go and abad ·serve· other deities,” which you have not known, you, nor your fathers;
7 of the deities 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;
8 you shall not consent to him, nor sh'ma ·hear obey· him; you must not pity him or spare him, neither shall you conceal him;
9 but you shall surely kill him! Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, 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 Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], out of the house of bondage.
11 All Israel [God prevails] shall sh'ma ·hear obey·, and fear, and shall not do any more wickedness like this among you.
12 If you shall sh'ma ·hear obey· about one of your cities, which Adonai your God gives you to dwell there, that
13 certain base fellows have gone out from among you, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and abad ·serve· other deities,” which you have not known;
14 then you shall inquire, and make search, and ask diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such detestable things are being done among you,
15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, with all that is therein and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
16 You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, and all every bit of its plunder, to Adonai your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
17 Nothing of the devoted thing shall dabak ·cling to, worship· your hand, that Adonai may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show you racham ·merciful love·, and have racham ·compassionate love· on you, and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers;
18 when you sh'ma ·hear obey· Adonai your God’s voice, to keep all his mitzvot ·instructions· which I am enjoining to you today, to do that which is right in Adonai your God’s eyes.