Deuteronomy 18:20-22
New English Translation
20 “But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized[a] him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 Now if you say to yourselves,[b] ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’[c]— 22 whenever a prophet speaks in my[d] name and the prediction[e] is not fulfilled,[f] then I have[g] not spoken it;[h] the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 18:20 tn Or “commanded” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
- Deuteronomy 18:21 tn Heb “in your heart.”
- Deuteronomy 18:21 tn Heb “know the word which the Lord has not spoken.” The issue here is not understanding the meaning of the message, but distinguishing a genuine prophetic word from a false one.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “the Lord’s.” See note on the word “his” in v. 5.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “the word,” but a predictive word is in view here. Cf. NAB “his oracle.”
- Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “does not happen or come to pass.”
- Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “the Lord has.” See note on the word “his” in v. 5.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “that is the word which the Lord has not spoken.”
Deuteronomy 18:20-22
New Living Translation
20 But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’
21 “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ 22 If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.
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