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

“A man who tells what is going to happen or a dreamer of dreams may come among you. He may give you something special to see or do a powerful work.

2 a nd the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’

And what he tells you will happen might come true. But if he says to you, ‘Let us follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let us worship them,’

3 y ou shall not listen to the words of that prophet or 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 all your soul.

do not listen to the words of that man who tells you what will happen or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is putting you to the test to see 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; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

Follow the Lord your God and fear Him. Keep His Laws, and listen to His voice. Work for Him, and hold on to Him.

5 B ut that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

But that man who tells what is going to happen or that dreamer of dreams must be put to death, because he has talked to you about turning away from the Lord your God Who brought you from the land of Egypt and set you free from the land where you were servants. That man tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God told you to walk. You must take the sinful away from you.

6 “ If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers,

“Your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your friend who is as your own soul, might tempt you in secret. They might say, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (whom you and your fathers have not known.

7 o f the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,

They might be gods of the nations who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other).

8 y ou shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him;

Do not agree with him or listen to him. Do not look on him with pity. And do not show him loving-kindness or hide him.

9 b ut you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

You must kill him. Your hand should be first against him to put him to death, and then the hand of all the people.

10 A nd you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Kill him with stones, because he has tried to turn you away from the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land where you were servants.

11 S o all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.

Then all Israel will hear and be afraid. No one will do such a sinful thing among you again.

12 “ If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying,

“You might hear that in one of the cities the Lord your God has given you to live in

13 ‘ Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods”’—which you have not known—

that some men of no worth have gone out from among you to tempt those who live in their city. They might say, ‘Let us go and worship other gods,’ (whom you have not known).

14 t hen you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you,

Then you should ask around and try to find out if this is true. If it is true that this sinful thing has been done among you,

15 y ou shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword.

you must be sure to go against those of that city with the sword. Destroy all of it, all that is in it, and its cattle, with the sword.

16 A nd you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.

Then gather all that is left into the center of the city. Burn the city and all that is left in it with fire as a whole burnt gift to the Lord your God. It will be destroyed forever. It will never be built again.

17 S o none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers,

Let nothing of the things to be destroyed be kept in your own hand so the Lord may turn from His burning anger and show loving-kindness to you. He will show you loving-pity and make you a nation of many, just as He promised your fathers.

18 b ecause you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

But you must listen to the voice of the Lord your God. Obey all His Laws which I am telling you today. Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.