Deuteronomy 13
Berean Standard BibleTranslation
Berean Standard Bible
JPS Tanakh (Jewish Publication Society, 1917)
1If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
1(13-2) If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams — and he give thee a sign or a wonder,
2and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,”
2(13-3) and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee — saying: 'Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them';
3you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
3(13-4) thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God putteth you to proof, to know whether ye do love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him.
4(13-5) After the LORD your God shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, and His commandments shall ye keep, and unto His voice shall ye hearken, and Him shall ye serve, and unto Him shall ye cleave.
5Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.
5(13-6) And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken perversion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage, to draw thee aside out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
6If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,
6(13-7) If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, that is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying: 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
7the gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, whether from one end of the earth or the other),
7(13-8) of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
8you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
8(13-9) thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him;
9Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.
9(13-10) but thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
10Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
10(13-11) And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to draw thee away from the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
11Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.
11(13-12) And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee.
12If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said
12(13-13) If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying:
13that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),
13(13-14) 'Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of thee, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying: Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known';
14then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you,
14(13-15) then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in the midst of thee;
15you must surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword. Devote to destruction all its people and livestock.
15(13-16) thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
16And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.
16(13-17) And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the broad place thereof, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto the LORD thy God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
17Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,
17(13-18) And there shall cleave nought of the devoted thing to thy hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers;
18because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
18(13-19) when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all His commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
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