Study Desk

"If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that

some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, '^(C1)Let's go and serve other gods' (whom you have not known),

then 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,

^(C1)you shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. ^(F1)Utterly destroy it and all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword.

"^(C1)Then 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 ^(F1)(C2)ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.

"Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, in order that the LORD may turn from ^(C1)His burning anger and ^(C2)show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and ^(C3)make you increase, just ^(C4)as He has sworn to your fathers,

^(F1)if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, ^(F2)keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, ^(F3)and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.