Add parallel Print Page Options

13 “If a prophet stands up in your midst or a dreamer of dreams[a] and he gives to you a sign or wonder, and the sign or[b] the wonder comes about that he spoke[c] to you, saying,[d] ‘Let us go after other gods (those whom you have not known), and let us serve them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer, for Yahweh your God is testing you to know whether you love[e] Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all of your inner self.[f] You shall go after Yahweh your God, and him you shall revere, and his commandment you shall keep, and to his voice you shall listen, and him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But that prophet or the dreamer of that dream shall be executed, for he spoke falsely about Yahweh your God, the one bringing you out from the land of Egypt and the one redeeming you from the house of slavery, in order to seduce you from the way that Yahweh your God commanded you to go in it; so in this way you shall purge the evil from your midst.

“If your brother, the son of your mother or your son or your daughter or your wife whom you embrace[g] or your intimate friend[h] in secrecy says,[i] ‘Let us go and let us serve other gods!’ gods that you and your ancestors[j] have not known, from among the gods of the people who are around you, those near you or those far from you,[k] from one end of the earth and up to the other end of the earth, you must not give in to him, and you shall not listen to him, and your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall not have compassion, and you shall not cover up[l] for him. But you shall certainly kill him; your hand shall be first against him to kill him and next the hand of all of the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones and let him die, for he tried to seduce you from Yahweh your God, the one bringing you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 11 And all of Israel shall hear, and they shall fear, and they shall not continue to act[m] according to this evil thing in your midst.

12 “If you hear in one of your towns which Yahweh your God is giving to you to live in, someone saying that[n] 13 worthless men[o] have gone out from your midst and have seduced the inhabitants of their town, saying,[p] ‘Let us go and serve other gods!’ whom you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and examine and interrogate thoroughly, and, look! It is true; the thing has actually been done, this detestable thing in your midst, 15 then you shall certainly strike down the inhabitants of that town with the edge[q] of the sword; you shall destroy it and everything in it, its domestic animals with the edge[r] of the sword. 16 And then you shall gather all of its booty into the middle of its public square, and you shall burn the town and all of its war-booty totally for Yahweh your God, and it shall be a pile of rubble forever;[s] it shall not be built again. 17 And let not something cling to your hand from the things devoted to destruction, so that Yahweh may turn back from his burning anger,[t] and he may show compassion to you and he may continue to show compassion and so multiply you just as he swore[u] to your ancestors,[v] 18 if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all of his commandments that I am commanding to you today[w] so as to do the right thing in the eyes of Yahweh your God.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:1 Hebrew “dream”
  2. Deuteronomy 13:2 Hebrew “and”
  3. Deuteronomy 13:2 Or “promised/declared”
  4. Deuteronomy 13:2 Literally “to say”
  5. Deuteronomy 13:3 Literally “a testing of Yahweh your God concerning you in order to know whether there is you loving”
  6. Deuteronomy 13:3 Or “soul”
  7. Deuteronomy 13:6 Literally “or the wife of your embrace”
  8. Deuteronomy 13:6 Literally “your friend who is like your soul/inner self”
  9. Deuteronomy 13:6 Literally “to say”
  10. Deuteronomy 13:6 Or “fathers”
  11. Deuteronomy 13:7 Literally “the near ones to you or the distant ones from you”
  12. Deuteronomy 13:8 Or “conceal” him
  13. Deuteronomy 13:11 Literally “they shall not add to do”
  14. Deuteronomy 13:12 Literally “to say”
  15. Deuteronomy 13:13 Literally “sons of Belial”
  16. Deuteronomy 13:13 Literally “to say”
  17. Deuteronomy 13:15 Literally “mouth”
  18. Deuteronomy 13:15 Literally “mouth”
  19. Deuteronomy 13:16 Literally “a tell/ruin forever”
  20. Deuteronomy 13:17 Literally “from the burning of his nose”
  21. Deuteronomy 13:17 Literally “as that he swore”
  22. Deuteronomy 13:17 Or “fathers”
  23. Deuteronomy 13:18 Literally “the day”

13 “If a prophet or (A)a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and (B)the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God (C)is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall (D)walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and (E)hold fast to him. But (F)that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. (G)So you shall purge the evil[a] from your midst.

(H)“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or (I)the wife you embrace[b] or your friend (J)who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ (K)which neither you nor your fathers have known, some (L)of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, you shall (M)not yield to him or listen to him, nor (N)shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. But you shall kill him. (O)Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 (P)You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 And (Q)all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain (R)worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask (S)diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction,[c] all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and (T)burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a (U)heap forever. It shall not be built again. 17 (V)None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, (W)that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, (X)as he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, (Y)keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:5 Or evil person
  2. Deuteronomy 13:6 Hebrew the wife of your bosom
  3. Deuteronomy 13:15 That is, setting apart (devoting) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)