| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, | 1Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, |
| 2and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ | 2and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, "Let us follow other gods"--gods whom you have not previously known--"and let us serve them." |
| 3you 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. | 3You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the LORD your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being. |
| 4You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. | 4You must follow the LORD your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. |
| 5But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. | 5As for that prophet or dreamer, he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the LORD your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge out evil from within. |
| 6“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, | 6Suppose your own full brother, your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have previously known, |
| 7some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, | 7the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other). |
| 8you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. | 8You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. |
| 9But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. | 9Instead, you must kill him without fail! Your own hand must be the first to strike him, and then the hands of the whole community. |
| 10You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. | 10You must stone him to death because he tried to entice you away from the LORD your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. |
| 11And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you. | 11Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you. |
| 12“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there, | 12Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you as a place to live, that |
| 13that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, | 13some evil people have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, saying, "Let's go and serve other gods" (whom you have not known before). |
| 14then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, | 14You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, |
| 15you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. | 15you must by all means slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. |
| 16You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. | 16You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It will be an abandoned ruin forever--it must never be rebuilt again. |
| 17None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, 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, | 17You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. Then the LORD will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. |
| 18if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God. | 18Thus you must obey the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving you today and doing what is right before him. |
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