Deuteronomy 13:3-13

3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer, for Yahweh your God {is testing you to know whether you love} Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all [of] your inner self.

4 You shall go after Yahweh your God, and him you shall revere, and his commandment you shall keep, and to his voice you shall listen, and him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast.

5 But that prophet or the dreamer of that dream shall be executed, for he spoke falsely about Yahweh your God, the [one] bringing you out from the land of Egypt and the [one] redeeming you from the house of slavery, in order to seduce you from the way that Yahweh your God commanded you to go in it; so [in this way] you shall purge the evil from your midst.

6 "If your brother, the son of your mother or your son or your daughter {or your wife whom you embrace} or {your intimate friend} in secrecy {says}, 'Let us go and let us serve other gods!' [gods] that you and your ancestors have not known,

7 from [among] the gods of the people who are around you, {those near you or those far from you}, from [one] end of the earth and up to the [other] end of the earth,

8 you must not give in to him, and you shall not listen to him, and your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall not have compassion, and you shall not cover [up] for him.

9 But you shall certainly kill him; your hand shall be first against him to kill him and next the hand of all [of] the people.

10 And you shall stone him with stones and let him die, for he tried to seduce you from Yahweh your God, the [one] bringing you from [the] land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

11 And all [of] Israel shall hear, and they shall fear, and {they shall not continue to act} according to this evil thing in your midst.

12 "If you hear in one of your towns which Yahweh your God [is] giving to you to live in, [someone] {saying that}

13 {worthless men} have gone out from your midst and have seduced the inhabitants of their town, {saying}, 'Let us go and serve other gods!' whom you have not known,

Deuteronomy 13:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 13

In this chapter the Israelites are taught how to discern a false prophet, shun and punish him, De 13:1-5, what to do with enticers to idolatry, not only not to consent to them, but, without favour and affection to them, endeavour to bring them to just punishment, and be the first that should inflict it on them, De 13:6-11 and how to behave towards a city drawn into idolatry, as to inquire the truth of it; then make war against it; destroy all in it, men, women, children, and cattle; and burn the spoil of it, and suffer not anything at all belonging to it to cleave unto them, De 13:12-18.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "a testing of Yahweh your God concerning you [in order] to know whether there is you loving"
• [b]. Or "soul"
• [c]. Literally "or the wife of your embrace"
• [d]. Literally "your friend who is like your soul/inner self"
• [e]. Literally "to say"
• [f]. Or "fathers"
• [g]. Literally "the near ones to you or the distant ones from you"
• [h]. Or "conceal" him
• [i]. Literally "they shall not add to do"
• [j]. Literally "to say"
• [k]. Literally "sons of Belial"
• [l]. Literally "to say"