אשר ידבר הנביא. וְיֹאמַר דָּבָר זֶה עָתִיד לָבֹא עֲלֵיכֶם וְתִרְאוּ שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא, הוא הדבר אשר לא דברו ה' וַהֲרֹג אוֹתוֹ. וְאִם תֹּאמַר זוֹ בְמִתְנַבֵּא עַל הָעֲתִידוֹת, הֲרֵי שֶׁבָּא וְאָמַר עֲשׂוּ כָךְ וְכָךְ וּמִפִּי הַקָּבָּ"ה אֲנִי אוֹמֵר? כְּבָר נִצְטַוּוּ שֶׁאִם בָּא לְהַדִּיחֲךָ מֵאַחַת מִכָּל הַמִּצְווֹת לֹא תִשְׁמַע לוֹ (דברים י"ג) אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן מֻמְחֶה הוּא לְךָ שֶׁהוּא צַדִּיק גָּמוּר, כְּגוֹן אֵלִיָּהוּ בְהַר הַכַּרְמֶל שֶׁהִקְרִיב בְּבָמָה בִּשְׁעַת אִסּוּר הַבָּמוֹת, כְּדֵי לִגְדֹּר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַכֹּל לְפִי צֹרֶךְ שָׁעָה וּסְיָג הַפִּרְצָה, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר (פסוק ט"ו) אֵלָיו תִּשְׁמָעוּן (סנהדרין פ"ט): אשר ידבר הנביא WHEN THE PROPHET SPEAKETH [IN THE NAME OF THE LORD] and says, “This thing will once happen to you”, and you will see that it did not happen, הוא הדבר אשר לא דברו ה׳ THAT IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD HATH NOT SPOKEN — and, therefore, slay him. If, however, you say, “But this refers to one who will prophesy about the future. But suppose one comes and says, ‘Do so and so, and I say this by the command of the Holy One blessed be He’? How, then, can we know whether God has spoken this or not?” The reply is: As regards such a case they have already been commanded that if one comes to thrust thee away from one of the divine commandments, לא תשמע לו “then thou shalt not hearken unto him” (Deuteronomy 13:12), unless you are certain that he is a perfectly righteous man, as, for instance. Elijah at the incident on Mount Carmel, who offered sacrifices on a Bamah (an improvised altar) at a time when offering on Bamoth was forbidden, but who did so in order to fence Israel in against idolatry. Thus all depends on the needs of the time and the necessity of taking preventive measures (סיג) against a breach. With reference to such a case it states, (v. 15) “unto him ye shall hearken” (Sanhedrin 89b; Yevamot 90b).
לא תגור ממנו. לֹא תִמְנַע עַצְמְךָ מִלְּלַמֵּד עָלָיו חוֹבָה (ספרי), וְלֹא תִירָא לֵעָנֵשׁ עָלָיו: לא תגור ממנו THOU SHALT NOT BE AFRAID OF HIM — i.e. do not refrain from advocating his guilt (Sifrei Devarim 178:3) and do not fear that you may incur punishment on his account (because you have contributed to his death).