Punishment of Community Idolatry

13:12 Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13:13 some evil people17 have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities,18 saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before).19 13:14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you,20 13:15 you must by all means21 slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate22 with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. 13:16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza23 and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin24 forever—it must never be rebuilt again. 13:17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment.25 Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. 13:18 Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving26 you today and doing what is right27 before him.28