Deuteronomy 13:1

New Revised Standard

If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, "Let us follow other gods" (whom you have not known) "and let us serve them," you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. If anyone secretly entices you—even if it is your brother, your father's son or your mother's son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend—saying, "Let us go worship other gods," whom neither you nor your ancestors have known, any of the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other, you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion and do not shield them. But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all the people. Stone them to death for trying to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid, and never again do any such wickedness. If you hear it said about one of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you to live in, that scoundrels from among you have gone out and led the inhabitants of the town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods," whom you have not known, then you shall inquire and make a thorough investigation. If the charge is established that such an abhorrent thing has been done among you, you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it—even putting its livestock to the sword. 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. Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand, so that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger and show you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to your ancestors, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“If a prophet or someone who has dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,

Hebrew Names Version
If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder,

King James Version
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,

Lexham English Bible
"If a prophet stands up in your midst or a dreamer of dreams and he gives to you a sign or wonder,

English Standard Version
"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

New Century Version
Prophets or those who tell the future with dreams might come to you and say they will show you a miracle or a sign.

New English Translation
Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder,

Amplified Bible
"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

New American Standard Bible
"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

Geneva Bible (1587)
If there arise amog you a prophet or a dreamer of dreames, (and giue thee a signe or wonder,

Legacy Standard Bible
"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: Someday a prophet may come along who is able to perform miracles or tell what will happen in the future. Then the prophet may say, "Let's start worshiping some new gods—some gods that we know nothing about."

Complete Jewish Bible
"Everything I am commanding you, you are to take care to do. Do not add to it or subtract from it.

Darby Translation
If there arise among you a prophet, or one that dreameth dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder,

Easy-to-Read Version
"A prophet or someone who explains dreams might come to you and tell you that they will show you a sign or a miracle.

George Lamsa Translation
IF there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and give you a sign or a wonder,

Good News Translation
"Prophets or interpreters of dreams may promise a miracle or a wonder,

Literal Translation
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises among you, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf there ryse vp a prophet or dreamer amonge you, and geue the a token or a wonder,

American Standard Version
If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder,

Bible in Basic English
If ever you have among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If there aryse among you a prophete or a dreamer of dreames, and geue thee a signe, or a wonder.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

King James Version (1611)
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreames, and giueth thee a signe, or a wonder:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if there arise within thee a prophet, or one who dreams a dream, and he gives thee a sign or a wonder,

English Revised Version
If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder,

Berean Standard Bible
If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If a prophete risith in the myddis of thee, ethir he that seith hym silf to haue seyn a dreem, and he biforseith a signe and a wondur to comynge aftir,

Young's Literal Translation
`When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or wonder,

Update Bible Version
If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

Webster's Bible Translation
If there shall arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and give thee a sign or a wonder.

World English Bible
If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder,

New King James Version
"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

New Living Translation
"Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,

New Life Bible
"A man who tells what is going to happen or a dreamer of dreams may come among you. He may give you something special to see or do a powerful work.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When there shall arise in thy midst - a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, - and he shall give unto thee a sign or a wonder;

Douay-Rheims Bible
If there rise in the midst of thee a prophet or one that saith he hath dreamed a dream, and he foretell a sign and a wonder,

Revised Standard Version
"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

THE MESSAGE
When a prophet or visionary gets up in your community and gives out a miracle-sign or wonder, and the miracle-sign or wonder that he gave out happens and he says, "Let's follow other gods" (these are gods you know nothing about), "let's worship them," don't pay any attention to what that prophet or visionary says. God , your God, is testing you to find out if you totally love him with everything you have in you. You are to follow only God , your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him—hold on to him for dear life!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

Contextual Overview

¹ If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, "Let us follow other gods" (whom you have not known) "and let us serve them," you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. If anyone secretly entices you—even if it is your brother, your father's son or your mother's son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend—saying, "Let us go worship other gods," whom neither you nor your ancestors have known, any of the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other, you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion and do not shield them. But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all the people. Stone them to death for trying to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid, and never again do any such wickedness. If you hear it said about one of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you to live in, that scoundrels from among you have gone out and led the inhabitants of the town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods," whom you have not known, then you shall inquire and make a thorough investigation. If the charge is established that such an abhorrent thing has been done among you, you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it—even putting its livestock to the sword. 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. Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand, so that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger and show you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to your ancestors, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God. ² If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, "Let us follow other gods" (whom you have not known) "and let us serve them," ³ you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. ⁴ The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. ⁵ But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a prophet: That is, one pretending to the divine inspiration and authority of the prophetic office, or a dreamer of dreams, one who pretends that some deity has spoken to him in the night season, and giveth thee a sign, oth, what appears to be a miraculous proof of his mission, or a wonder, mopheth, some portentous sign, such as an eclipse, which he, who knew when it would happen, might predict to the people, who knew nothing of the matter, and thereby accredit his pretensions. But no pretended miracles must be admitted as a proof that the people might violate the first and great commandment. 1 Kings 13:18, Isaiah 9:15, Jeremiah 6:13, Jeremiah 23:11, Ezekiel 13:2, Ezekiel 13:3, Ezekiel 13:23, Zechariah 13:4, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:11, Luke 6:26, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1

a dreamer: Jeremiah 23:25-28, Jeremiah 27:9, Jeremiah 29:8, Jeremiah 29:24, *marg. Zechariah 10:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:10 - a dream Exodus 7:11 - they also Exodus 8:7 - General Exodus 22:20 - sacrificeth Deuteronomy 18:20 - the prophet Deuteronomy 26:1 - General Deuteronomy 29:18 - among you man 1 Kings 13:3 - General 1 Kings 13:19 - General 2 Kings 17:35 - charged them Ezra 7:26 - whether it be Proverbs 19:27 - General Jeremiah 23:27 - think Jeremiah 23:32 - to err Jeremiah 29:26 - and maketh Ezekiel 14:10 - the punishment Matthew 24:23 - General Matthew 24:24 - and shall Mark 13:21 - General Acts 13:6 - a false Acts 16:16 - possessed Galatians 1:9 - than 2 Thessalonians 2:2 - by spirit 2 Thessalonians 2:9 - and signs Revelation 13:13 - he doeth Revelation 16:14 - working

Cross-References

Genesis 13:9
Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left."

Genesis 20:1
From there Abraham journeyed toward the region of the Negeb, and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While residing in Gerar as an alien,

Genesis 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord , the Everlasting God.

Joshua 10:40
So Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings; he left no one remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.

Joshua 18:5
They shall divide it into seven portions, Judah continuing in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph in their territory on the north.

1 Samuel 27:10
When Achish asked, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or "Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites," or, "Against the Negeb of the Kenites."

2 Samuel 24:7
and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer-sheba.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If there arise among you a prophet,.... A false prophet, a lying prophet, as the Targum of Jonathan; one that pretends to be a true prophet, and to be sent of God, and to come from him with a message from him, a new revelation or doctrine, or in his name, to foretell things to come; the former is chiefly meant. Such prophets did arise in Israel before the time of Christ, and have since arose under the Christian name; see 2 Peter 2:1,

or a dreamer of dreams; the same with the prophet, only to be distinguished by the different manner of their having the mind and will of God revealed to them, pretended to; either by vision or by dream, which were the two usual ways in which the Lord spake to the true prophets, Numbers 12:6 so that the prophet is one who pretended he had a vision from the Lord, and the dreamer one that had a dream from him, or something revealed to him in a dream; and dreams are sometimes used for false doctrines, vain, deceitful, and illusory; see Jeremiah 23:25. The Targum of Jonathan calls him

"a dreamer of a dream of pride:''

such persons are generally prompted by the pride of their own hearts to take such a method to make themselves famous and respected among men; and usually bring such doctrines with them which are agreeable to the pride and vanity of human nature:

and giving thee a sign or a wonder; for the confirmation of his mission and doctrine; such as Moses wrought before the children of Israel and before Pharaoh. Signs are expressions or representations of things to come to pass; wonders, such as either do, or seem to exceed the common course of nature, or be contrary to it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A prophet, or a dreamer of dreams - Compare Numbers 12:6. The “prophet” received his revelations by vision or direct oral communication Numbers 24:16; 2 Samuel 7:4; 2 Corinthians 12:2; “the dreamer of dreams” through the medium of a dream 1 Kings 3:5; Matthew 2:13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XIII

Of false prophets and their lying signs, 1-6.

Of those who endeavour to entice and seduce people to idolatry,

7-8.

The punishment of such, 9-11.

Of cities perverted from the pure worship of God, 12-14.

How that city is to be treated, 15.

All the spoil of it to be destroyed, 16.

Promises to them who obey these directions, 17, 18.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIII

Verse Deuteronomy 13:1. If there arise among you a prophet — Any pretending to have a Divine influence, so as to be able perfectly to direct others in the way of salvation; or a dreamer of dreams - one who pretends that some deity has spoken to him in the night-season; and giveth thee a sign, אות oth, what appears to be a miraculous proof of his mission; or a wonder, מופת mopheth, some type or representation of what he wishes to bring you over to: as some have pretended to have received a consecrated image from heaven; hence the origin of the Palladium, Numa's Shields, and many of the deities among the Hindoos. But here the word seems to mean some portentous sign, such as an eclipse, which he who knew when it would take place might predict to the people who knew nothing of the matter, and thereby accredit his pretensions.