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.”
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- 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
Expanded Bible
20 But if a prophet ·says something I did not tell him to say as though he were speaking for me [L speaks presumptuously in my name a word I did not command him to speak], or if a prophet speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be killed [Jer. 28:15–17].”
21 You might be ·thinking [L saying in your heart/mind], “How can we know if a message is not from the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet says in the name of the Lord does not happen, it is not the Lord’s message. That prophet was speaking ·his own ideas [presumptuously]. Don’t be afraid of him.
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