1. “Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God cattle or sheep that have any defects; the Lord hates this.
2. “Suppose you hear that in one of your towns some man or woman has sinned against the Lord and broken his covenant
3. by worshipping and serving other gods or the sun or the moon or the stars, contrary to the Lord's command.
4. If you hear such a report, then investigate it thoroughly. If it is true that this evil thing has happened in Israel,
5. then take that person outside the town and stone him to death.
6. However, he may be put to death only if two or more witnesses testify against him; he is not to be put to death if there is only one witness.
7. The witnesses are to throw the first stones, and then the rest of the people are to stone that person; in this way you will get rid of this evil.
8. “It may be that some cases will be too difficult for the local judges to decide, such as certain cases of property rights or of bodily injury or those cases that involve a distinction between murder and manslaughter. When this happens, go to the one place of worship chosen by the Lord your God,
9. and present your case to the levitical priests and to the judge who is in office at that time, and let them decide the case.
10. They will give their decision, and you are to do exactly as they tell you.
11. Accept their verdict and follow their instructions in every detail.
12. Anyone who dares to disobey either the judge or the priest on duty is to be put to death; in this way you will remove this evil from Israel.