Reject Idolatry

1“[a]If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ 3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put 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 [b]slavery, to drive you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

6“If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife [c]you cherish, or your friend who is like your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7of 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), 8you shall not consent to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9Instead, you shall most certainly kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10So you shall stone him [d]to death, because he has attempted to drive you away from the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [e]slavery. 11Then all 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 13some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14then 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, 15you shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. [f]Utterly destroy it and all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16Then 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 [g]ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, in order that the LORD may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, 18[h]if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, [i]keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, [j]and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.