Chapter 13

Shun Idolatry

1 “1aIf a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘aLet us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’

3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is atesting you to find out if byou love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

4 “aYou shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and bcling to Him.

5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be aput to death, because he has 1counseled 2rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of 3slavery, bto seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. cSo you shall purge the evil from among you.

6 “aIf your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife 1you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘bLet us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known,

7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end),

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

9 “aBut you shall surely kill him; byour hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

10 “So you shall stone him 1to death because he has sought ato seduce you from the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of 2slavery.

11 “Then aall Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that

13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘aLet us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known),

14 then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you,

15 ayou shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, 1utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword.

16 “aThen you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; and it shall be a 1bruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.

17 “Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that the Lord may turn from aHis burning anger and bshow mercy to you, and have compassion on you and cmake you increase, just das He has sworn to your fathers,

18 1if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, 2keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, 3and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.