1 [fn]“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,
2 and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—
3 do not listen to them. The L
ORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.
4 Serve only the L
ORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.
5 The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the L
ORD your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the L
ORD your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you.
12 “When you begin living in the towns the L
ORD your God is giving you, you may hear
13 that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods you have not known before.
14 In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find that the report is true and such a detestable act has been committed among you,
15 you must attack that town and completely destroy
[fn] all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock.
16 Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the open square and burn it. Burn the entire town as a burnt offering to the L
ORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt.
17 Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the L
ORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a large nation, just as he swore to your ancestors.