Deuteronomy 16:21-17:7

New American Standard Bible

²¹ “^(A)You shall not plant for yourself an ^[a]Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. ²² And ^(B)you shall not set up for yourself a memorial stone, which the Lord your God hates.

Administration of Justice

17 “^(C)You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any ^[b]defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God.

² “^(D)If there is found in your midst, in any of your ^[c]towns which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by violating His covenant, ³ and that person has gone and ^(E)served other gods and worshiped them, ^(F)or the sun, the moon, or any of the heavenly ^[d]lights, ^(G)which I have commanded not to do, ⁴ and if it is reported to you and you have heard about it, then you shall investigate thoroughly. And ^[e]if it is true and the report is trustworthy that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, ⁵ then you are to bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil deed, that is, the man or the woman, and ^(H)you shall stone them to ^[f]death. ^6 (I)On the ^[g]testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, the ^[h]condemned shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the ^[i]testimony of only one witness. ^7 (J)The hands of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. ^(K)So you shall eliminate the evil from your midst.