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20 “But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized[a] him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 Now if you say to yourselves,[b] ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’[c] 22 whenever a prophet speaks in my[d] name and the prediction[e] is not fulfilled,[f] then I have[g] not spoken it;[h] the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 18:20 tn Or “commanded” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
  2. Deuteronomy 18:21 tn Heb “in your heart.”
  3. Deuteronomy 18:21 tn Heb “know the word which the Lord has not spoken.” The issue here is not understanding the meaning of the message, but distinguishing a genuine prophetic word from a false one.
  4. Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “the Lord’s.” See note on the word “his” in v. 5.
  5. Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “the word,” but a predictive word is in view here. Cf. NAB “his oracle.”
  6. Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “does not happen or come to pass.”
  7. Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “the Lord has.” See note on the word “his” in v. 5.
  8. Deuteronomy 18:22 tn Heb “that is the word which the Lord has not spoken.”