Ulangan 13:6-9

False Prophets in the Family

13:6 Suppose your own full brother, ¹  your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods ²  that neither you nor your ancestors ³  have previously known, ⁴  13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth ⁵  to the other). 13:8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! ⁶  Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ⁷  and then the hands of the whole community.

Ulangan 17:2-5

17:2 Suppose a man or woman is discovered among you – in one of your villages ⁸  that the Lord your God is giving you – who sins before the Lord your God ⁹  and breaks his covenant 17:3 by serving other gods and worshiping them – the sun, ¹⁰  moon, or any other heavenly bodies which I have not permitted you to worship. ¹¹  17:4 When it is reported to you and you hear about it, you must investigate carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing ¹²  is being done in Israel, 17:5 you must bring to your city gates ¹³  that man or woman who has done this wicked thing – that very man or woman – and you must stone that person to death. ¹⁴ 

[13:6]  ¹ tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.

[13:6]  ² tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”

[13:6]  ³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).

[13:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).

[13:7]  ⁵ tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”

[13:9]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).

[13:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.

[17:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “does the evil in the eyes of the Lord your God.”

[17:3]  ¹⁰ tc The MT reads “and to the sun,” thus including the sun, the moon, and other heavenly spheres among the gods. However, Theodotion and Lucian read “or to the sun,” suggesting perhaps that the sun and the other heavenly bodies are not in the category of actual deities.

[17:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “which I have not commanded you.” The words “to worship” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[17:4]  ¹² tn Heb “an abomination” (תּוֹעֵבָה); see note on the word “offensive” in v. 1.

[17:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “stone them with stones so that they die” (KJV similar); NCV “throw stones at that person until he dies.”