📖 Deuteronomy — Chapter 13 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you Ra prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deuteronomy 13:2 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;
Deuteronomy 13:3 Thou shalt not Rhearken 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.
Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall Rwalk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deuteronomy 13:5 And that Rprophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken Tto 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.
Deuteronomy 13:6 If Rthy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
Deuteronomy 13:7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
Deuteronomy 13:8 Thou shalt not Rconsent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:
Deuteronomy 13:9 RBut thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Deuteronomy 13:10 And thou shalt Rstone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of Tbondage.
Deuteronomy 13:11 And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.
Deuteronomy 13:12 If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,
Deuteronomy 13:13 Certain men, RTthe children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
Deuteronomy 13:14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
Deuteronomy 13:15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, Rdestroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
Deuteronomy 13:16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt Rburn 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.
Deuteronomy 13:17 And there shall Rcleave nought of the Tcursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
Deuteronomy 13:18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, Rto keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Deuteronomy 13:1–5 — Signs do not authorize false worship
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Even a fulfilled sign does not make a prophet trustworthy if the message leads Israel to other gods. Moses makes loyalty to the LORD the measure of the teaching, rather than an impressive event alone.
Key Truth: A sign does not overturn God's command to worship him alone.
Check What You Remember
1. What kind of messenger is named alongside a prophet? (Deuteronomy 13:1)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:1 (KJV).
2. What forbidden invitation could expose the messenger's message? (Deuteronomy 13:2)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:2 (KJV).
3. Whom must Israel walk after and fear? (Deuteronomy 13:4)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:4 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Deuteronomy 13:6–11 — Loyalty despite close relationships
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The temptation to idolatry may come privately from a close relative or friend. Moses says that such intimacy must not lead Israel to consent to worship other gods; these severe penalties belong to Israel's covenant law.
Key Truth: A relationship's closeness does not make idolatry faithful to God.
Check What You Remember
1. Is the invitation described as secret or public? (Deuteronomy 13:6)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:6 (KJV).
2. Should Israel consent to an invitation to serve other gods? (Deuteronomy 13:8)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:8 (KJV).
3. From what house had the LORD brought Israel out? (Deuteronomy 13:10)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:10 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Deuteronomy 13:12–18 — Investigating an idolatrous city
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Reports that a city has turned to other gods must be investigated diligently before judgment. The goods are not to become personal profit, and the account ends by recalling obedience to the LORD.
Key Truth: Serious accusations require diligent inquiry, and judgment is not an opportunity for personal gain.
Check What You Remember
1. What should be done before acting on the report? (Deuteronomy 13:14)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:14 (KJV).
2. What were the city's goods to be gathered into? (Deuteronomy 13:16)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:16 (KJV).
3. Was anything of the cursed thing to remain in Israel's hand? (Deuteronomy 13:17)
Find it in Deuteronomy 13:17 (KJV).
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. Why is a fulfilled sign insufficient to validate the messenger’s invitation?
2. What common issue connects the prophet, the close relative, and the city’s agitators?
3. What do the named relationships show about secret enticement?
4. What must precede action against a city named in a report?
5. What prevents personal enrichment from the condemned city’s goods?
Notes
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