Deuteronomy 13
Lexham English Bible
13 “If a prophet stands up in your midst or a dreamer of dreams[a] and he gives to you a sign or wonder, 2 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,’ 3 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] 4 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. 5 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.
6 “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, 7 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, 8 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. 9 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
- Deuteronomy 13:1 Hebrew “dream”
- Deuteronomy 13:2 Hebrew “and”
- Deuteronomy 13:2 Or “promised/declared”
- Deuteronomy 13:2 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 13:3 Literally “a testing of Yahweh your God concerning you in order to know whether there is you loving”
- Deuteronomy 13:3 Or “soul”
- Deuteronomy 13:6 Literally “or the wife of your embrace”
- Deuteronomy 13:6 Literally “your friend who is like your soul/inner self”
- Deuteronomy 13:6 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 13:6 Or “fathers”
- Deuteronomy 13:7 Literally “the near ones to you or the distant ones from you”
- Deuteronomy 13:8 Or “conceal” him
- Deuteronomy 13:11 Literally “they shall not add to do”
- Deuteronomy 13:12 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 13:13 Literally “sons of Belial”
- Deuteronomy 13:13 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 13:15 Literally “mouth”
- Deuteronomy 13:15 Literally “mouth”
- Deuteronomy 13:16 Literally “a tell/ruin forever”
- Deuteronomy 13:17 Literally “from the burning of his nose”
- Deuteronomy 13:17 Literally “as that he swore”
- Deuteronomy 13:17 Or “fathers”
- Deuteronomy 13:18 Literally “the day”
Deuteronomy 13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
13 [a]“If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and show you omens or portents,(A) 2 and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (whom you have not known) ‘and let us serve them,’(B) 3 you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.(C) 4 The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast.(D) 5 But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.(E)
6 “If anyone secretly entices you—even if it is your brother, your father’s son or[b] your mother’s son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend—saying, ‘Let us go serve other gods,’ whom neither you nor your ancestors have known,(F) 7 any of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other, 8 you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion, and do not shield them. 9 But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them and afterward the hand of all the people.(G) 10 Stone them to death for trying to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid and never again do any such wickedness.(H)
12 “If you hear it said about one of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you to live in, 13 that scoundrels from among you have gone out and led the inhabitants of the town astray, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ whom you have not known,(I) 14 then you shall inquire and make a thorough investigation. If the charge is established that such an abhorrent thing has been done among you, 15 you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it, even putting its livestock to the sword.(J) 16 All of its spoil you shall gather into its public square, then burn the town and all its spoil with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin, never to be rebuilt.(K) 17 Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand, so that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger and show you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to your ancestors,(L) 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.(M)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.