Deuteronomy 13

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 "Every command that I enjoin on you, you shall be careful to observe, neither adding to it nor subtracting from it.	1 'Whatever I am now commanding you, you must keep and observe, adding nothing to it, takingnothing away.
2 "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer who promises you a sign or wonder,	2 'If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, offering you some sign or wonder,
3 urging you to follow other gods, whom you have not known, and to serve them: even though the sign or wonder he has foretold you comes to pass,	3 and the sign or wonder comes about; and if he then says to you, "Let us follow other gods (hithertounknown to you) and serve them,"
4 pay no attention to the words of that prophet or that dreamer; for the LORD, your God, is testing you to learn whether you really love him with all your heart and with all your soul.	4 you must not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer's dreams. Yahweh your God is testingyou to know if you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and al your soul.
5 The LORD, your God, shall you follow, and him shall you fear; his commandment shall you observe, and his voice shall you heed, serving him and holding fast to him alone.	5 Yahweh your God is the one whom you must fol ow, him you must fear, his commandments you mustkeep, his voice you must obey, him you must serve, to him you must hold fast.
6 But that prophet or that dreamer shall be put to death, because, in order to lead you astray from the way which the LORD, your God, has directed you to take, he has preached apostasy from the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and ransomed you from that place of slavery. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst.	6 That prophet or that dreamer of dreams must be put to death, since he has preached apostasy fromYahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slave-labour; and he wouldhave diverted you from the way in which Yahweh your God has commanded you to walk. You must banish thisevil from among you.
7 "If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or your intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known,	7 'If your brother, the son of your father or of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the spouse whomyou embrace, or your most intimate friend, tries secretly to seduce you, saying, "Let us go and serve othergods," unknown to you or your ancestors before you,
8 gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other:	8 gods of the peoples surrounding you, whether near you or far away, anywhere throughout the world,
9 do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him,	9 you must not consent, you must not listen to him; you must show him no pity, you must not spare himor conceal his guilt.
10 but kill him. Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you.	10 No, you must kil him, your hand must strike the first blow in putting him to death and the hands ofthe rest of the people following.
11 You shall stone him to death, because he sought to lead you astray from the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.	11 You must stone him to death, since he has tried to divert you from Yahweh your God who broughtyou out of Egypt, from the place of slave-labour.
12 And all Israel, hearing of it, shall fear and never again do such evil as this in your midst.	12 Al Israel, hearing of this, wil be afraid, and none of you wil do such a wicked thing again.
13 "If, in any of the cities which the LORD, your God, gives you to dwell in, you hear it said	13 'If you hear that in one of the towns which Yahweh your God has given you for a home,
14 that certain scoundrels have sprung up among you and have led astray the inhabitants of their city to serve other gods whom you have not known,	14 there are men, scoundrels from your own stock, who have led their fel ow-citizens astray, saying,"Let us go and serve other gods," hitherto unknown to you,
15 you must inquire carefully into the matter and investigate it thoroughly. If you find that it is true and an established fact that this abomination has been committed in your midst,	15 it is your duty to look into the matter, examine it, and enquire most careful y. If it is proved andconfirmed that such a hateful thing has taken place among you,
16 you shall put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, dooming the city and all life that is in it, even its cattle, to the sword.	16 you must put the inhabitants of that town to the sword; you must lay it under the curse of destruction-- the town and everything in it.
17 Having heaped up all its spoils in the middle of its square, you shall burn the city with all its spoils as a whole burnt offering to the LORD, your God. Let it be a heap of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.	17 You must pile up al its loot in the public square and burn the town and al its loot, offering it al toYahweh your God. It is to be a ruin for al time, and never rebuilt.
18 You shall not retain anything that is doomed, that the blazing wrath of the LORD may die down and he may show you mercy and in his mercy for you may multiply you as he promised your fathers on oath;	18 From what is thus put under the curse of destruction you must keep nothing back, so that Yahwehmay turn from the ferocity of his anger and show you mercy, and have pity on you and increase your numbers,as he swore he would to your ancestors,
19 because you have heeded the voice of the LORD, your God, keeping all his commandments which I enjoin on you today, doing what is right in his sight.	19 on condition that you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God by keeping al his commandmentswhich I am enjoining on you today, and by doing what is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.'