Deuteronomy 16:21-17:7
World English Bible
21 You shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside Yahweh your God’s altar, which you shall make for yourselves. 22 Neither shall you set yourself up a sacred stone which Yahweh your God hates.
17 You shall not sacrifice to Yahweh your God an ox or a sheep in which is a defect or anything evil; for that is an abomination to Yahweh your God.
2 If there is found among you, within any of your gates which Yahweh your God gives you, a man or woman who does that which is evil in Yahweh your God’s sight in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded, 4 and you are told, and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to your gates, even that same man or woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
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
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