12. After the Lord your God gives you towns to live in, you may hear a rumour about one of the towns.
13. You may hear that some worthless people have talked everyone there into worshipping other gods, even though these gods had never done anything for them.
14. You must carefully find out if the rumour 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.
16-17. Gather all the possessions of the people who lived there, and pile them up in the market place, 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 any more, 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.