Deuteronomy 13:16

¹⁴ then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you,

¹⁵ you must surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword. Devote to destruction all its people and livestock.

And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.

¹⁷ Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,

¹⁸ because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.
KJV: And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
WEB: You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, with all of its plunder, to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
ASV: And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto Jehovah thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
DARBY: And all the spoil of it shalt thou gather into the midst of the open place thereof, and shalt burn the city with fire, and all the spoil thereof, wholly to Jehovah thy God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
BLB: And all its plunder you shall gather into the middle of the street, and burn with the fire the city and all its plunder completely before YHWH your God. And it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.

ÅB: Alt byttet du tar der, skal du samle midt på torvet, og du skal brenne opp både byen og alt byttet du har tatt, med ild som et heloffer for Herren din Gud, og den skal være en grushaug for alle tider, den skal ikke bygges opp mere.
OTB: Samle alt byttet fra byen midt på torget og brenn byen og alt dens bytte som et helt brennoffer til Herren din Gud. Den skal forbli en ruin for alltid, aldri å bli gjenoppbygd.
B1930: Alt byttet du tar der, skal du samle midt på torvet, og du skal brenne op både byen og alt byttet du har tatt, med ild som et heloffer for Herren din Gud, og den skal være en grushaug for alle tider, den skal ikke bygges op mere.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Joshua 8:28
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
Read in context
Jeremiah 49:2
Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a heap of ruins, and its villages will be burned. Then Israel will drive out their dispossessors, says the LORD.
Read in context
Joshua 6:24
Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.
Read in context
Isaiah 25:2
Indeed, You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin. The fortress of strangers is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
Read in context
Isaiah 17:1
This is the burden against Damascus: “Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become a heap of ruins.
Read in context
Micah 1:6
Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field, a planting area for a vineyard. I will pour her stones into the valley and expose her foundations.
Read in context
Numbers 21:2–3
So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.”
Read in context
Joshua 6:26
At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
Read in context