New Living Translation

New King James Version

A Warning against Idolatry

a“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,

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Punishment of Apostates

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

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and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’ — gods you have not known before —

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

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do not listen to them. The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.

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you 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.

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Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.

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You shall walk[a] after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

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The 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.

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But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall [b]put away the evil from your midst.

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“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.

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“If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife [c]of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers,

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They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth.

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of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,

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But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them.

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you shall not [d]consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him;

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You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in.

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

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Stone 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.

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And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

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Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again.

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So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.

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“When you begin living in the towns the LORD your God is giving you, you may hear

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“If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying,

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that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’ — gods you have not known before.

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[e]‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” ’ — which you have not known —

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In 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,

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then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an [f]abomination was committed among you,

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you must attack that town and completely destroyb all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock.

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you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock — with the edge of the sword.

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Then 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.

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And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and [g]completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be a [h]heap forever; it shall not be built again.

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Keep 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.

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So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and [i]multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers,

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“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.

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because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Deuteronomy 13

Deuteronomy 13