Deuteronomy 13
13
How Israel Is to Deal with False Prophets
1 # 13:1
Deuteronomy 13:1–18
in English Bibles is Deuteronomy 13:2–19 in the Hebrew Bible. One of your people, claiming to be a prophet or to have prophetic dreams, may predict a miraculous sign or an amazing thing. 2What he predicts may even take place. But don’t listen to that prophet or dreamer #13:2 The first part of verse 3 (in Hebrew) has been placed in verse 2 to express the complex Hebrew paragraph structure more clearly in English. if he says, “Let’s worship and serve other gods.” (Those gods may be gods you’ve never heard of.) 3The Lord your God is testing you to find out if you really love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4Worship the Lord your God, fear him, obey his commands, listen to what he says, serve him, and be loyal to him. 5That prophet or dreamer must be put to death because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. He was trying to lead you away from following the directions the Lord your God gave you. You must get rid of this evil.
6Your own brother, son, or daughter, the wife you love, or your best friend may secretly tempt you, saying, “Let’s go worship other gods.” (Those gods may be gods that you and your ancestors never knew. 7They may be the gods of the people around you, who live near or far, from one end of the land to the other.) 8Don’t be influenced by any of these people or listen to them. Have no pity on them. Don’t feel sorry for them or protect them. 9You must put them to death. You must start the execution. Then all the other people will join you in putting them to death. 10Stone them to death because they were trying to lead you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. 11All Israel will hear about it and be afraid. Then no one among you will ever do such a wicked thing again.
12You may hear that the residents in one of the cities which the Lord your God is giving you to live in 13have been led away from the Lord your God by worthless people. You may hear that these people have been saying, “Let’s worship other gods.” (Those gods may be gods you’ve never heard of.) 14Then make a thorough investigation. If it is true, and you can prove that this disgusting thing has been done among you, 15you must kill the residents of that city with swords and destroy that city and everyone in it, including the animals, because they are claimed by God. 16Gather their goods into the middle of the city square. Then burn their city and all their goods as a burnt offering to the Lord your God. It must remain a mound of ruins and never be rebuilt. 17Don’t ever take any of the things claimed for destruction. Then the Lord will stop being angry and will show you mercy. In his mercy he will make your population increase, as he swore to your ancestors. 18The Lord your God will do this if you listen to him, obey all the commands that I’m giving you today, and do what he considers right.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Deuteronomy 13
13
Don't Worship Other Gods
Moses said to Israel:
1-2Someday a prophet#13.1,2 a prophet: Hebrew adds “or a dreamer of dreams,” another name for a prophet. may come along who is able to perform miracles or tell what will happen in the future. Then the prophet may say, “Let's start worshiping some new gods—some gods that we know nothing about.” 3If the prophet says this, don't listen! The Lord your God will be watching to find out whether or not you love him with all your heart and soul. 4You must be completely faithful to the Lord. Worship and obey only the Lord and do this with fear and trembling, 5because he rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
If a prophet tells you to disobey the Lord your God and to stop worshiping him, then that prophet is evil and must be put to death.
6-10 #
3 Macc 7.10. Someone else may say to you, “Let's worship other gods.” That person may be your best friend, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, or your own dear wife or husband. But you must not listen to people who say such things. Instead, you must stone them to death. You must be the first to throw the stones, then others from the community will finish the job. Don't show any pity.
The gods worshiped by other nations have never done anything for you or your ancestors. People who ask you to worship other gods are trying to get you to stop worshiping the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. So put to death anyone who asks you to worship another god. 11And when the rest of Israel hears about it, they will be afraid, and no one else will ever do such an evil thing again.
12After the Lord your God gives you towns to live in, you may hear a rumor about one of the towns. 13You may hear that some worthless people have talked everyone there into worshiping other gods, even though these gods had never done anything for them. 14You must carefully find out if the rumor is true. Then if the people of that town have actually done such a disgusting thing in your own country, 15you must take your swords and kill every one of them, and their livestock too. 16-17Gather all the possessions of the people who lived there, and pile them up in the marketplace, without keeping anything for yourself. Set the pile and the whole town on fire, and don't ever rebuild the town. The whole town will be a sacrifice to the Lord your God. Then he won't be angry anymore, and he will have mercy on you and make your nation stronger, just as he promised your ancestors. 18That's why you must do what the Lord your God says is right. I am giving you his laws and teachings today, and you must obey them.
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