Deuteronomy 13

1Every word that I am commanding you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it, and you shall not take away from it.

2If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

3and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, about which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them,’

4You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams, for Yahweh your God is testing you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

5You shall walk after Yahweh your God and fear him, and keep his commandments and listen to his voice, and serve him, and cling to him.

6But that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

7If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter, or the wife of your embrace, or your friend who is like your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’—gods that neither you nor your fathers have known—

8from the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near to you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth—

9You shall not yield to him or listen to him, and your eye shall not pity him, and you shall not spare, and you shall not conceal him.

10For you must surely put him to death; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

11You shall stone him with stones, and he shall die, because he sought to drive you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

12And all Israel shall hear and fear, and they shall not again do this evil thing in your midst.

13If you hear it said in one of your cities that Yahweh your God is giving you to dwell there, saying,

14Certain worthless men have gone out from among you and have led the inhabitants of their city astray, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known.

15and you shall investigate, and search out, and inquire thoroughly; and behold, if it is true and certain that this abomination has been done in your midst,

16You shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, devoting it to destruction, along with all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.

17You shall gather all its spoil into the middle of its open square, and you shall burn the city and all its spoil with fire as a whole offering to Yahweh your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin mound; it shall not be rebuilt again.

18And nothing from what is devoted to destruction shall cling to your hand, so that Yahweh may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy, and have compassion on you, and multiply you, just as he swore to your fathers.

19if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all his commandments that I am commanding you today, to do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.