Deuteronomy 17:1-8

English Standard Version

17 ^(A)“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.

^2 (B)“If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, ^(C)in transgressing his covenant, ³ and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or ^(D)the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, ^(E)which I have forbidden, ⁴ and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire ^(F)diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, ⁵ then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you ^(G)shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. ^6 (H)On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. ^7 (I)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So ^(J)you shall purge^[a] the evil^[b] from your midst.

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges

⁸ “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to ^(K)the place that the Lord your God will choose.