21 (A)“You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a [a]wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the Lord your God. 22 (B)You shall not set up a sacred pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

Various Instructions

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

(D)“If there is found among you, within any of your [d]gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, (E)in transgressing His covenant, who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either (F)the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, (G)which I have not commanded, (H)and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an [e]abomination has been committed in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and (I)shall stone (J)to death that man or woman with stones. Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three (K)witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among (L)you.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:21 Or Asherah
  2. Deuteronomy 17:1 Lit. evil thing
  3. Deuteronomy 17:1 detestable thing
  4. Deuteronomy 17:2 towns
  5. Deuteronomy 17:4 detestable thing

21 “Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God which thou shalt make thee.

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image, which the Lord thy God hateth.

17 “Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock or sheep wherein is blemish or any evilfavoredness, for that is an abomination unto the Lord thy God.

“If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman who hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God in transgressing His covenant,

and hath gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,

and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently, and behold, it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel,

then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die.

At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.