Deuteronomy 16:21-17:7
English Standard Version
Forbidden Forms of Worship
21 “You shall not plant any tree as (A)an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. 22 And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.
17 (B)“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.
2 (C)“If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, (D)in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or (E)the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, (F)which I have forbidden, 4 and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire (G)diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you (H)shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 (I)On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 (J)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So (K)you shall purge[a] the evil[b] from your midst.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Septuagint drive out; also verse 12
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Or evil person; also verse 12
Deuteronomy 16:21-17:7
International Standard Version
Prohibited Practices
21 “You are not to set up a sacred pole[a] beside the altar of the Lord your God that you will build. 22 Furthermore, you are not to erect for yourselves a sacred stone pillar, because the Lord your God detests these things. 17 1 You are not to sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has a defect or any flaw in it, because that is detestable to the Lord your God.”
Death to the Idolater
2 “You may discover that a man or woman living in one of your cities that the Lord your God is about to give you has done evil in the eyes of the Lord your God by transgressing his covenant. 3 He may be following and serving other gods by bowing down to them—that is, to the sun, the moon, or to any of the heavenly host[b] (something I did not command). 4 When it is reported to you or you hear of it, you are to investigate it thoroughly. When the truth has been established that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5 summon the man or the woman who did this evil thing to your city gates, and then stone the man or the woman to death. 6 Based on the testimony[c] of two or three witnesses, they must surely die, but they are not to die based on the testimony of one person. 7 Let the witnesses[d] be the first to begin executing them, then the rest of[e] the people are to follow. By doing this you will purge evil from among you.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 16:21 Lit. Asherah; i.e. a cultic pillar
- Deuteronomy 17:3 Or any of the stars or planets, if referring to astronomical bodies; or supernatural beings, if referring to fallen or unfallen angelic armies
- Deuteronomy 17:6 Lit. mouth
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Lit. the hands of the witnesses
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Lit. the hand of all
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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