Deuteronomy 13:5

“But you must execute anyone who falsely says that he is a prophet, or someone who falsely says that he can interpret dreams, or who tells you to rebel against Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt. People like that are only wanting to cause you to stop conducting your lives as Yahweh has commanded you to do. Execute them, to get rid of this evil among you.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

In Context

4You must conduct your lives as Yahweh our God wants you to, and you must revere him, and do what he tells you to do [MTY], and worship only him, and ◄be faithful to/have a close relationship with► him.

6It does not matter if even your brother or your daughter or your wife or some close/dear friend secretly urges you, saying ‘Let’s worship other gods. They are gods which you or your ancestors have never known about.

Read all of Deuteronomy 13

Cross References

Deuteronomy 6:13“You must revere Yahweh our God, and you must serve only him and say that he should [MTY] punish you if you do not do what you have promised.

Deuteronomy 13:10Kill such people by throwing stones at them, because they are trying to cause you to stop worshiping Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt.

Deuteronomy 18:20But if any other person says that he is a prophet and dares to speak a message which he falsely says comes from me but which I did not tell him to speak, or if anyone who speaks a message that he says other gods [MTY] have revealed to him, he must be executed for doing that.’

Deuteronomy 22:21they must take that young woman to the door of her father’s house. Then the men of that city must execute her by throwing stones at her. They must do that because she has done something in Israel that is very disgraceful, by having sex with some man while she was still living in her father’s house. By executing her like that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.

Deuteronomy 24:7“If someone kidnaps/steals a fellow Israeli to cause that person to become his slave or to sell him to become someone else’s slave, you must execute the person who did that. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil among you.

Joshua 23:8You must continue to do what Yahweh our God wants us to do, as you have been doing.

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 13:2-6

Cautions Against Idolatry. ( b. c. 1451.) 1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Deuteronomy 13:5