1 ` When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or 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 and the wonder hath come which he hath spoken of unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods (which thou hast not known), and 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 t hou dost not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of the dream, for Jehovah your God is trying you, to know whether ye are loving Jehovah 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 a fter Jehovah your God ye walk, and Him ye fear, and His commands ye keep, and to His voice ye hearken, and Him ye serve, and to Him ye cleave.

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 ` And that prophet, or that dreamer of the dream, is put to death, for he hath spoken apostacy against Jehovah your God (who is bringing you out of the land of Egypt, and hath ransomed you out of a house of servants), to drive you out of the way in which Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee to walk, and thou hast put away the evil thing from thy 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 ` When thy brother -- son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend who as thine own soul -- doth move thee, in secret, saying, Let us go and serve other gods -- (which thou hast not known, thou and thy 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 peoples who round about you, who are near unto thee, or who are far off from thee, from the end of the earth even unto the 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 t hou dost not consent to him, nor hearken unto him, nor doth thine eye have pity on him, nor dost thou spare, nor dost thou cover him over.

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 ` But thou dost surely kill him; thy hand is on him, in the first place, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last;

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 thou hast stoned him with stones, and he hath died, for he hath sought to drive thee away from Jehovah thy God, who is bringing thee out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of servants;

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 a nd all Israel do hear and fear, and add not to do like this evil thing in thy midst.

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

12 ` When thou hearest, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to dwell there, saying,

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

13 M en, sons of worthlessness, have gone out of thy midst, and they force away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye 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 a nd thou hast enquired, and searched, and asked diligently, and lo, truth; the thing is established; this abomination hath been done in thy midst:

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 ` Thou dost surely smite the inhabitants of that city by the mouth of the sword; devoting it, and all that in it, even its cattle, by the mouth 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 all its spoil thou dost gather unto the midst of its broad place, and hast burned with fire the city and all its spoil completely, before Jehovah thy God, and it hath been a heap age-during, it is not built any more;

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 a nd there doth not cleave to thy hand any of the devoted thing, so that Jehovah doth turn back from the fierceness of His anger, and hath given to thee mercies, and loved thee, and multiplied thee, as He hath sworn to thy 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 w hen thou dost hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep all his commands which I am commanding thee to-day, to do that which right in the eyes of Jehovah thy 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.