| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, | 1 “Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, |
| 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 predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before— |
| 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. | 3do not listen to them. The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. |
| 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. | 4Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling 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. | 5The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the LORD your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the LORD your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. |
| 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, | 6“Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither you nor your ancestors have 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, | 7They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. |
| 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. | 8But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. |
| 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. | 9You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in. |
| 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. | 10Stone the guilty ones to death because they have tried to draw you away from the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. |
| 11And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you. | 11Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again. |
| 12“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there, | 12“When you begin living in the towns the LORD your God is giving you, you may hear |
| 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, | 13that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods 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, | 14In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find that the report is true and such a detestable act has been committed 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 attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all 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. | 16Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the open square and burn it. Burn the entire town as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. |
| 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, | 17Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a large nation, just as he swore to 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. | 18“The LORD your God will be merciful only if you listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what pleases him. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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