1 I f a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

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

2 A nd the sign or the wonder he foretells to you comes to pass, and if he says, Let us go after other gods—gods you have not known—and let us serve them,

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

3 Y ou 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 your entire being.

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

4 Y ou shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cling to Him.

You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

5 B ut that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has talked rebellion and turning away from the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage; that man has tried to draw you aside from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So shall you put the evil away from your midst.

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

6 I f your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own life entices you secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods—gods you have not known, you nor your fathers,

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

7 O f the gods of the peoples who are round about you, near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other—

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 Y ou shall not give consent to him or listen to him; nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him.

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

9 B ut you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people.

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

10 A nd you shall stone him to death with stones, because he has tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

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

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

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

12 I f you hear it said in one of your cities which the Lord your God has given you in which to dwell

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

13 T hat certain base fellows have gone out from your midst and have enticed away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods—gods you have not known—

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

14 T hen you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it is true and certain that such an abominable thing has been done among you,

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 Y ou shall surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly and all who are in it and its beasts with the edge of the sword.

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

16 A nd you shall collect all its spoil into the midst of its open square and shall burn the city with fire with every bit of its spoil to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.

Then 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 ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.

17 A nd nothing of the accursed thing shall cling to your hand, so 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,

Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that the Lord may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers,

18 I f you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you this day, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

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