Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Contemporary English Version

Deuteronomy 13:16

Gather all the possessions of the people who lived there, and pile them up in the marketplace, without keeping anything for yourself. Set the pile and the whole town on fire, and don't ever rebuild the town. The whole town will be a sacrifice to the Lord your God. Then he won't be angry anymore, and he will have mercy on you and make you successful, just as he promised your ancestors.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;   Thompson Chain Reference - Spoils of War;   War;   War-Peace;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Idol, Idolatry;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Devote, Devoted;   Israel;   Kill, Killing;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jericho;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Achan;   Devoted Thing;   Street;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Capital Punishment;   Crimes and Punishments;   Market Place;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ban;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Ethics;   Prophecy, Prophets;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Accursed;   Fire;   Heap;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Accessories;   Ban;   Capital Punishment;   Commandments, the 613;   Domicil;   Jurisdiction;   Sanhedrin;   Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn the city and all its spoil for the Lord your God. The city is to remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt.
Hebrew Names Version
You shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street of it, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil of it every whit, to the LORD your God: and it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
King James Version
And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the Lord thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
Lexham English Bible
And then you shall gather all of its booty into the middle of its public square, and you shall burn the town and all of its war-booty totally for Yahweh your God, and it shall be a pile of rubble forever; it shall not be built again.
English Standard Version
You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
New Century Version
Gather up everything those people owned, and put it in the middle of the city square. Then completely burn the city and everything they owned as a burnt offering to the Lord your God. That city should never be rebuilt; let it be ruined forever.
New English Translation
You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin forever—it must never be rebuilt again.
Amplified Bible
"Then you shall collect all its spoil (plunder) into the middle of its open square and burn the city and set fire to the spoil as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a ruin forever. It shall not be built again.
New American Standard Bible
"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 ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And thou shalt gather all the spoyle of it into the middes of the streete thereof, and burne with fire the citie and all the spoyle thereof euery whit, vnto the Lorde thy God: and it shall be an heape for euer: it shall not be built againe.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then you shall gather all its spoil into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh your God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.
Complete Jewish Bible
you must put the inhabitants of that city to death with the sword, destroying it completely with the sword, everything in it, including its livestock.
Darby Translation
And all the spoil of it shalt thou gather into the midst of the open place thereof, and shalt burn the city with fire, and all the spoil thereof, wholly to Jehovah thy God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
Easy-to-Read Version
You must gather up everything of value and take it to the center of the city. Burn the whole city and everything in it as a burnt offering to the Lord your God. You must turn that city into an empty pile of rocks forever, and that city must never be rebuilt.
George Lamsa Translation
And you shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of an open space beyond the walls thereof, and burn the city with fire, and all its spoil every bit, before the LORD your God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
Good News Translation
Bring together all the possessions of the people who live there and pile them up in the town square. Then burn the town and everything in it as an offering to the Lord your God. It must be left in ruins forever and never again be rebuilt.
Literal Translation
And you shall gather all its spoil into the middle of its open place, and shall burn the city with fire, and all its spoil, completely, before Jehovah your God. And it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built any more.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and all the spoyle therof shalt thou gather together in the myddes of the stretes of it, and burne with fyre, both the cite and all the spoyle therof together vnto the LORDE yi God, that it maye lye vpon a heape for euer, and neuer be buylded eny more.
American Standard Version
And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto Jehovah thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
Bible in Basic English
And take all the goods into the middle of its open space, burning the town and all its property with fire as an offering to the Lord your God; it is to be a waste for ever; there is to be no more building there.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And gather all the spoyle of it into the middes of the streate therof, and burne with fire both the citie and all the spoyle therof euery whyt for the Lorde thy God: and it shalbe an heape for euer, and shall not be buylt agayne.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
King James Version (1611)
And thou shalt gather all the spoile of it, into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burne with fire the citie, and all the spoile thereof euery whit, for the Lord thy God: and it shall be an heape for euer, it shall not bee built againe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all its spoils thou shalt gather into its public ways, and thou shalt burn the city with fire, and all its spoils publicly before the Lord thy God; and it shall be uninhabited for ever, it shall not be built again.
English Revised Version
And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
Berean Standard Bible
And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also what euer thing of purtenaunce of houshold is, thou schalt gadere in the myddis of the stretis therof, and thou schalt brenne with that citee, so that thou waste alle thingis to thi Lord God, and it be a biriel euerlastynge; it schal no more be bildid.
Young's Literal Translation
and all its spoil thou dost gather unto the midst of its broad place, and hast burned with fire the city and all its spoil completely, before Jehovah thy God, and it hath been a heap age-during, it is not built any more;
Update Bible Version
And you shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every bit, to Yahweh your God: and it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of its street, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil of it every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be a heap forever; it shalt not be built again.
World English Bible
You shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street of it, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil of it every whit, to Yahweh your God: and it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
New King James Version
And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
New Living Translation
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 Lord your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt.
New Life Bible
Then gather all that is left into the center of the city. Burn the city and all that is left in it with fire as a whole burnt gift to the Lord your God. It will be destroyed forever. It will never be built again.
New Revised Standard
All of its spoil you shall gather into its public square; then burn the town and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin, never to be rebuilt.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and all the spoil thereof, shalt thou gather together into the midst of the broad way thereof, and shalt consume with fire the city and all the spoil thereof every whirl unto Yahweh thy God, - and it shall be a heap unto times age-abiding, it shall be built no more.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the household goods that are there, thou shalt gather together in the midst of the streets thereof, and shall burn them with the city itself, so as to consume all for the Lord thy God, and that it be a heap for ever: it shall be built no more.
Revised Standard Version
You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square, and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God; it shall be a heap for ever, it shall not be built again.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.

Contextual Overview

12 After the Lord your God gives you towns to live in, you may hear a rumor about one of the towns. 13 You may hear that some worthless people have talked everyone there into worshiping other gods, even though these gods had never done anything for them. 14 You must carefully find out if the rumor is true. Then if the people of that town have actually done such a disgusting thing in your own country, 15 you must take your swords and kill every one of them, and their livestock too. 16Gather all the possessions of the people who lived there, and pile them up in the marketplace, without keeping anything for yourself. Set the pile and the whole town on fire, and don't ever rebuild the town. The whole town will be a sacrifice to the Lord your God. Then he won't be angry anymore, and he will have mercy on you and make you successful, just as he promised your ancestors. 18 That's why you must do what the Lord your God says is right. I am giving you his laws and teachings today, and you must obey them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

burn with: Joshua 6:24

an heap: Numbers 21:2, Numbers 21:3, Joshua 6:26, Joshua 8:28, Isaiah 17:1, Isaiah 25:2, Jeremiah 49:2, Micah 1:6

Reciprocal: Leviticus 27:28 - no devoted Joshua 7:15 - he that is 1 Samuel 15:3 - utterly destroy Ezekiel 16:41 - burn Ezekiel 23:47 - and burn Ezekiel 26:14 - be built Daniel 2:5 - made

Cross-References

Genesis 13:1
Abram and Sarai took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them.
Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold.
Genesis 13:3
Abram moved from place to place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents between Bethel and Ai,
Genesis 13:14
After Abram and Lot had gone their separate ways, the Lord said to Abram: Look around to the north, south, east, and west.
Genesis 13:16
I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants.
Genesis 13:18
Abram took down his tents and went to live near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar in honor of the Lord .
Genesis 15:5
Then the Lord took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have."
Genesis 17:6
I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings.
Genesis 17:16
I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.
Genesis 17:20
I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof,.... All the wealth and substance of the inhabitants, their household goods, shop goods, merchandise, utensils in trade and business, and everything that can be named. The Jews say p, if there is no street, they make one (or a marketplace); if that is without it, they bring them into the midst of it:

and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit; be it what it may, or let it be whose property it will; and all this shall be done for the Lord thy God; as by his appointment and command, and in obedience to him, so for his honour and glory, and the vindication of his righteous law;

and it shall be an heap for ever, it shall not be built again; but lie a waste as Jericho, though not an entire waste; for according to the Jewish writers, though it might not be built as it was before, it might be made into gardens and orchards q.

p Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 6. q lbid. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Every whit, for the Lord thy God - Some prefer: “as a whole offering to the Lord thy God.”


 
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