Deuteronomy, 13

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

1. "If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

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

2. and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, `Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, `and let us serve them,'

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,"

3. you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

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.

4. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him, and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and cleave to him.

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.

5. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from the midst of you.

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.

6. "If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, `Let us go and serve other gods,' which neither you nor your fathers have known,

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,

7. some of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,

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

8. you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him;

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.

9. but you shall kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

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.

10. You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

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.

11. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

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

12. "If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell there,

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

13. that certain base fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of the city, saying, `Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known,

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,

14. then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently; and behold, if it be true and certain that such an abominable thing has been done among 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,

15. you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, destroying it utterly, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword.

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.

16. You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square, and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God; it shall be a heap for ever, it shall not be built again.

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.

17. None of the devoted things shall cleave to your hand; that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show you mercy, and have compassion on you, and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers,

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,

18. if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments which I command you this day, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.

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.'

19.