the Fourth Week of Advent
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Bishop's Bible
Deuteronomy 13
1 If there aryse among you a prophete or a dreamer of dreames, and geue thee a signe, or a wonder.2 And that signe or wonder whiche he hath sayde come to passe, and then say: Let vs go after straunge gods (which thou hast not knowen) and let vs serue them:3 Hearken not thou vnto the wordes of that prophete or dreamer of dreames: For the Lorde thy God proueth you, to knowe whether ye loue the Lorde your God with all your heart and with all your soule.4 Ye shall walke after the Lorde your God, and feare him, kepe his commaundementes, and hearken vnto his voyce, you shall serue hym, & cleaue vnto hym.5 And that prophete or dreamer of dreames shal die ( because he hath spoken to turne you away from the Lorde your God whiche brought you out of the lande of Egypt, and deliuered you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out the way which the Lorde thy God commaunded thee to walke in) and therefore thou shalt put the euyll away from thee.
6 If thy brother, the sonne of thy mother, or thine owne sonne, or thy daughter, or the wyfe that lieth in thy bosome, or thy frende whiche is as thyne owne soule vnto thee, entice thee secretely, saying: Let vs go and serue straunge gods (which thou hast not knowen, nor yet thy fathers)7 And they be any of the gods of the people whiche are rounde about you: whether they be nye vnto thee or farre of fro thee, from the one ende of the earth vnto the other:8 Thou shalt not consent vnto hym, nor hearken vnto hym, thyne eye shall not pitie hym, neither shalt thou haue compassion on hym, nor kepe hym secrete:9 But cause him to be slayne: Thine hande shalbe first vpon him to kill him, and then the handes of all the people.10 And thou shalt stone hym with stones that he dye: because he hath gone about to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, whiche brought thee out of the lande of Egypt, and from the house of bondage.11 And all Israel shall heare and feare, and shall do no more any suche wickednesse, as this is among you.
12 If thou shalt heare say in one of thy cities, whiche the Lorde thy God hath geuen thee to dwell in,13 That certaine men beyng the children of Belial, are gone out fro among you, and haue moued the inhabiters of their citie, saying: let vs go and serue straunge gods, whiche ye haue not knowen:14 Then thou must seeke, & make searche and enquire diligently: And behold, if it be true, & the thing of a suretie, that such ahbomination is wrought among you:15 Then thou shalt smyte the dwellers of that citie with the edge of the sworde, and destroy it vtterly, & all that is therin, and euen the very cattell therof, with the edge of the sworde:16 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.17 And there shal cleaue naught of the damned thyng in thyne hande, that the Lorde may turne from the fiercenesse of his wrath, and shew thee mercy, and haue compassion on thee, and multiplie thee, as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers.18 Therefore shalt thou hearken vnto the voyce of the Lorde thy God, to kepe all his commaundementes whiche I commaunde thee this day, that thou do that whiche is ryght in the eyes of the Lorde thy God.