13:1 If there should appear³ among you a prophet or dreamer⁴ and he should show you a sign or token,⁵ 13:2 and the sign or token should come to pass⁶ concerning what he said to you, namely, let us follow other gods whom you have not previously known and let us serve them, 13:3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer,⁷ for the LORD your God will be testing you to see⁸ if you love him⁹ with all your mind¹⁰ and being. 13:4 You must walk after the LORD your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him, and cling to him. 13:5 As for that prophet or dreamer,¹¹ he must be slain because he encouraged¹² rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from Egypt, redeeming¹³ you from the place of slavery, and because he has tried to deflect you from the way the LORD your God has commanded you to go; thus you must purge out evil from within.¹⁴

13:6 If your own full brother,¹⁵ your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend¹⁶ should seduce you secretly and say, let’s go and serve other gods that you have not known previously, either you or your ancestors, 13:7 the gods of the surrounding people whether near to or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other, 13:8 you must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him nor spare nor cover up for him. 13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail. Your own hand must be the first to put him to death and then the hand of the whole community¹⁷ afterward.¹⁸ 13:10 You must pelt him to death with stones¹⁹ because he tried to entice you away from your God, he who delivered you from the land of Egypt, the place of slaves. 13:11 Thus, all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this in your midst.²⁰

13:12 If it should come to your attention²¹ in one of your cities that the LORD your God is giving you as a place to live²² that 13:13 some evil people²³ have departed from your midst to entice²⁴ the inhabitants of their cities,²⁵ saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods whom you have not known before,” 13:14 you must investigate thoroughly²⁶ and ask diligently. If it is true and certain that this abomination is being done in your midst,²⁷ 13:15 you must by all means slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; put under the divine curse²⁸everyone in it, even the livestock, by the sword. 13:16 You must collect all of its spoil into the middle of the plaza²⁹ and burn the city³⁰ and all its spoil as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It will be an abandoned ruin³¹ forever—it shall never be rebuilt again. 13:17 You must not take for yourself anything of that which has been cursed,³² so that the LORD might relent³³ of his intense wrath and show you compassion, that he might have mercy on you and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. 13:18 Thus you must obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am presenting³⁴ you today and doing the thing that is right³⁵ before him.³⁶