²¹ You shall not plant for yourselves^[a] an Asherah pole^[b] beside the altar of Yahweh your God that you make for yourselves.^{[c] 22} And you shall not set up for yourselves a stone pillar, a thing that Yahweh your God hates.

17 “You shall not sacrifice to Yahweh your God an ox or sheep that has a physical defect^[d] of anything seriously wrong,^[e] for that is a detestable thing to Yahweh your God. ² If there is found in one of your towns^[f] that Yahweh your God is giving to you a man or a woman that does evil in the eyes of Yahweh your God to transgress his covenant ³ and by going and serving other gods and so he bows down to them and to the sun or to the moon or to any of the host of heaven which I have forbidden,^{[g] 4} and it is reported to you or you hear about it and you enquire about it thoroughly and, indeed,^[h] the trustworthiness of the deed^[i] has been established, it has occurred,^[j] this detestable thing, in Israel, ⁵ then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has^[k] done this evil thing to your gates; that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them with stones to death.^{[l] 6} On the evidence of^[m] two or three witnesses the person shall be put to death.^[n] The person^[o] shall not be put to death by the mouth of one witness. ⁷ The hand of the witnesses shall be first against the person^[p] to kill the person,^[q] and afterward the hands^[r] of all the people, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst.