1 “ 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.

¶ When there arises among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives thee a sign or a wonder,

2 A nd 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,’

and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them,

3 d o 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.

thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God proves you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

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

Ye shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and hear his voice, and ye shall serve him and cleave unto him.

5 B ut 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.

And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and ransomed you out of the house of slavery, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

6 “ 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.

¶ If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son or thy daughter or the wife of thy bosom or thy friend who is as thine own soul should entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou nor thy fathers have known,

7 T hey 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).

namely, of the gods of the peoples who are round about you, near unto thee or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth,

8 D o 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.

thou shalt not consent with him nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him; neither shalt thou have compassion; neither shalt thou conceal him,

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

but thou must kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterwards the hand of all the people.

10 K ill 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.

And thou must stone him with stones, and he shall die because he has sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery;

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

so that all Israel shall hear and fear and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.

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

¶ If thou shalt hear in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God has given thee to dwell there, that it is said,

13 t hat 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).

certain men, the sons of Belial, are gone out from among you and have incited the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known,

14 T hen 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,

then shalt thou enquire and search and ask diligently; and, behold, if it is the truth and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought among you,

15 y ou 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.

thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly with all that is therein and the beasts thereof, with the edge of the sword.

16 T hen 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.

And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of its plaza and shalt burn the city with fire and all the spoil thereof, all of it, unto the LORD thy God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall never be built again.

17 L et 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.

And none of the anathema shall cleave to thine 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 has sworn unto thy fathers,

18 B ut 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.

when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, keeping all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.