Deuteronomy - Chapter 13

¹ 'Whatever I am now commanding you, you must keep and observe, adding nothing to it, taking nothing away.

² 'If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, offering you some sign or wonder,

³ and the sign or wonder comes about; and if he then says to you, "Let us follow other gods (hitherto unknown to you) and serve them,"

⁴ you must not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer's dreams. Yahweh your God is testing you to know if you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and all your soul.

⁵ Yahweh your God is the one whom you must follow, him you must fear, his commandments you must keep, his voice you must obey, him you must serve, to him you must hold fast.

⁶ That prophet or that dreamer of dreams must be put to death, since he has preached apostasy from Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slave-labour; and he would have diverted you from the way in which Yahweh your God has commanded you to walk. You must banish this evil from among you.

⁷ 'If your brother, the son of your father or of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the spouse whom you embrace, or your most intimate friend, tries secretly to seduce you, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," unknown to you or your ancestors before you,

⁸ gods of the peoples surrounding you, whether near you or far away, anywhere throughout the world,

⁹ you must not consent, you must not listen to him; you must show him no pity, you must not spare him or conceal his guilt.

¹⁰ No, you must kill him, your hand must strike the first blow in putting him to death and the hands of the rest of the people following.

¹¹ You must stone him to death, since he has tried to divert you from Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, from the place of slave-labour.

¹² All Israel, hearing of this, will be afraid, and none of you will do such a wicked thing again.

¹³ 'If you hear that in one of the towns which Yahweh your God has given you for a home,

¹⁴ there are men, scoundrels from your own stock, who have led their fellow-citizens astray, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," hitherto unknown to you,

¹⁵ it is your duty to look into the matter, examine it, and enquire most carefully. If it is proved and confirmed that such a hateful thing has taken place among you,

¹⁶ you must put the inhabitants of that town to the sword; you must lay it under the curse of destruction -- the town and everything in it.

¹⁷ You must pile up all its loot in the public square and burn the town and all its loot, offering it all to Yahweh your God. It is to be a ruin for all time, and never rebuilt.

¹⁸ From what is thus put under the curse of destruction you must keep nothing back, so that Yahweh may turn from the ferocity of his anger and show you mercy, and have pity on you and increase your numbers, as he swore he would to your ancestors,

¹⁹ on condition that you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God by keeping all his commandments which I am enjoining on you today, and by doing what is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.'

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