“^1aIf a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘^aLet’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is ^atesting you to find out whether ^byou love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 ^aYou shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and ^bcling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be ^aput to death, because he has spoken falsely against the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of ¹slavery, ^bto drive you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. ^cSo you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

6 “^aIf your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife ¹you cherish, or your friend who is like your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘^bLet’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 ^ayou shall not consent to him or listen to him; ^band your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9 ^aInstead, you shall most certainly kill him; ^byour hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 So you shall stone him ¹to death, because he has attempted ^ato drive you away from the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ²slavery. 11 Then ^aall Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and will not do such a wicked thing among you again.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘^aLet’s go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14 then you shall investigate, search out, and inquire thoroughly. And if it is true and the matter is certain that this abomination has been committed among you, 15 ^ayou shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. ¹Utterly destroy it and all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 ^aThen you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its public square, and burn the city and all its plunder with fire as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God; and it shall be a ^1bruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17 Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, in order that the LORD may turn from ^aHis burning anger and ^bshow mercy to you, and have compassion on you and ^cmake you increase, just ^das He has sworn to your fathers, 18 ¹if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, ²keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, ³and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.