Deuteronomy
13
- If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams,
appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,
- and if the sign or wonder of which he has
spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods
you have not known) "and let us worship them,"
- you must not listen to the words of that
prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you
love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- It is the LORD your God you must follow,
and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold
fast to him.
- That prophet or dreamer must be put to death,
because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out
of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you
from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the
evil from among you.
- If your very own brother, or your son or
daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you,
saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you
nor your fathers have known,
- gods of the peoples around you, whether
near or far, from one end of the land to the other),
- do not yield to him or listen to him. Show
him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him.
- You must certainly put him to death. Your
hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all
the people.
- Stone him to death, because he tried to
turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of
the land of slavery.
- Then all Israel will hear and be afraid,
and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
- If you hear it said about one of the towns
the LORD your God is giving you to live in
- that wicked men have arisen among you and
have led the people of their town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship
other gods" (gods you have not known),
- then you must inquire, probe and investigate
it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable
thing has been done among you,
- you must certainly put to the sword all
who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock.
- Gather all the plunder of the town into
the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder
as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It is to remain a ruin forever,
never to be rebuilt.
- None of those condemned things shall be
found in your hands, so that the LORD will turn from his fierce anger; he
will show you mercy, have compassion on you, and increase your numbers, as
he promised on oath to your forefathers,
- because you obey the LORD your God, keeping
all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in his
eyes.
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