7 The Lord your God will now bring you into the land that will be your home. As you go in, he will chase out seven nations that now live there. Those nations are larger and more powerful than you are. They are the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. 2 The Lord your God will put those people under your power so that you win against them. When that happens, you must destroy them completely as a gift to God. Do not make any agreement with them to keep them safe. Do not be kind to them. 3 You must not marry any of these people. Do not let your daughters marry their sons. Do not take their daughters to marry your sons. 4 If that happens, your children may turn away from the Lord . They will start to worship other gods. Then the Lord will be very angry with you. He will immediately destroy you.
5 This is what you must do to the people of those nations: Break their altars and their stone pillars into pieces. Cut down their Asherah poles. Burn their idols with fire. [ a ] 6 Remember that you are a special people who belong to the Lord your God. He has chosen you for himself out of all the other people who live on the earth. He loves you as his special people.
7 Why did the Lord choose you as the people who would give him pleasure? It was not because you were the largest nation on the earth. No, you were the smallest of all nations! 8 Instead, it was because of the Lord 's love for you. Also, he had made a serious promise to your ancestors and he was faithful to that promise. So he used his great power to bring you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. He rescued you from the power of Pharaoh, Egypt's king.
9 Remember that the Lord your God is the only true God. So love him and obey his commands. Then you can trust him to be faithful to his covenant. He made that covenant with you, his people, and with your descendants for ever. 10 But if his people turn against him, he will punish them as they deserve. He will quickly destroy them.
11 So be careful to obey all the commands, rules and laws that I am teaching you today.
12 Listen to these rules and be careful to obey them. If you do that, the Lord your God will be faithful to the covenant that he has made with you. He promised your ancestors that he would do this. 13 He will love you and he will bless you. He will give you many children so that you become a large nation. He will cause your fields to give you plenty of food: grain, wine and olive oil. He will cause your cows, sheep and goats to have many babies. That is how he will bless you in the land that he promised your ancestors to give you. 14 God will bless you more than any other people on the earth. All your people and all your animals will have children of their own. 15 The Lord will keep you safe from all kinds of disease. He will not give you any of the terrible diseases that you saw in Egypt. Instead, he will cause those diseases to hurt the people who hate you.
16 You must remove the people of every nation that the Lord your God will put under your power. Do not be kind to them. Do not worship their gods. If you do that, they will make you turn away from God.
17 Perhaps you will say to each other, ‘The people of these nations are stronger than we are. We cannot chase them away.’ 18 But do not be afraid of them. Remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptian people. 19 You saw how he punished them. You saw how he used his strength and power to do great miracles. The Lord your God did all those things to rescue you from Egypt. He will use the same power against all the people that make you afraid. 20 Also, the Lord your God will send great fear among these people. [ b ] Even those people who hide from you will soon die. 21 When you fight against them, do not let them frighten you. The Lord your God is there to help you. He is a great and powerful God. 22 He will chase out the people of those nations, one at a time. He will not let you destroy them all immediately. If you did that, wild animals would become so many that they would be a danger to you.
23 But the Lord your God will put your enemies under your power. He will cause them to become completely confused, so that you can destroy them. 24 He will put their kings under your power. No one will remember their names any more. No one will be able to stop you. You will destroy them all. 25 You must burn the images of their gods with fire. Do not try to keep the silver or gold from those idols. The Lord your God hates those things. If you take it for yourselves, it will catch you like a trap. 26 Do not bring anything that God hates into your house. If you do that, God will be ready to destroy you as well as the thing itself. God has said that he hates things like that, so you must hate them too.
7 “The Lord your God will lead you into the land that you are entering to take for your own. He will force out many nations for you—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations greater and more powerful than you. 2 The Lord your God will put these nations under your power. And you will defeat them. You must destroy them completely. Don’t make an agreement with them or show them mercy. 3 Don’t marry any of them, and don’t let your sons or daughters marry any of the people from those other nations. 4 If you do, they will turn your children away from following me. Then your children will serve other gods, and the Lord will be very angry with you. He will quickly destroy you!
5 “This is what you must do to those nations: You must smash their altars and break their memorial stones into pieces. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their statues. 6 Do this because you are the Lord ’s own people. From all the people on earth, the Lord your God chose you to be his special people—people who belong only to him. 7 Why did the Lord love and choose you? It was not because you are such a large nation. You had the fewest of all people! 8 But the Lord brought you out of Egypt with great power and made you free from slavery. He freed you from the control of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord did this because he loves you and he wanted to keep the promise he made to your ancestors.
9 “So remember that the Lord your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations, 10 but the Lord punishes people who hate him. He will destroy them. He will not be slow to punish those who hate him. 11 So you must be careful to obey the commands, laws, and rules that I give you today.
12 “If you listen to these laws, and if you are careful to obey them, the Lord your God will keep his agreement of love with you. He promised this to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you. He will make your nation grow. He will bless your children. He will bless your fields with good crops and will give you grain, new wine, and oil. He will bless your cows with calves and your sheep with lambs. You will have all these blessings in the land that he promised your ancestors to give you.
14 “You will be blessed more than all people. Every husband and wife will be able to have children. Your cows will be able to have calves. 15 The Lord will take away all sickness from you and he will not let you catch any of the terrible diseases that you had in Egypt. But he will make your enemies catch those diseases. 16 You must destroy all the people the Lord your God helps you defeat. Don’t feel sorry for them, and don’t worship their gods! They will trap you—they will ruin your life.
17 “Don’t say in your heart, ‘These nations are stronger than we are. How can we force them out?’ 18 You must not be afraid of them. You must remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the people of Egypt. 19 You saw the great troubles he gave them and the amazing things he did. You saw the Lord use his great power and strength to bring you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use that same power against all the people you fear.
20 “The Lord your God will send the hornet [ a ] against them. He will do this until he destroys all the people who escaped and tried to hide. 21 Don’t be afraid of them, because the Lord your God is with you. He is a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will force those nations to leave your country little by little. You will not destroy them all at once. If you did, the wild animals would grow to be too many for you. 23 But the Lord your God will let you defeat those nations. He will confuse them in battle, until they are destroyed. 24 He will help you defeat their kings. You will kill them, and the world will forget they ever lived. No one will be able to stop you. You will destroy them all!
25 “You must throw the statues of their gods into the fire and burn them. You must not want to keep the silver or the gold that is on those statues for yourselves. It will be like a trap to you—it will ruin your life. The Lord your God hates those idols. 26 You must not bring any of those disgusting idols into your homes, or you will be destroyed just as they will be. You must treat them as the disgusting things they are! They are to be destroyed.
7 When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
6 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
15 And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
20 Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
22 And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
23 But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
24 And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.
26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
7 “ ( A ) When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to take possession of it, and He drives away many nations from before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, ( B ) seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God turns them over to you and you [ a ] defeat them, ( C ) you shall [ b ] utterly destroy them. ( D ) You shall not make a covenant with them ( E ) nor be gracious to them. 3 Furthermore, ( F ) you shall not intermarry with them: you shall not give your [ c ] daughters to [ d ] their sons, nor shall you take [ e ] their daughters for your [ f ] sons. 4 For [ g ] they will turn your [ h ] sons away from [ i ] following Me, and they will serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and ( G ) He will quickly destroy you. 5 But this is what you shall do to them: ( H ) you shall tear down their altars, smash their memorial stones, cut their [ j ] Asherim to pieces, and burn their carved images in the fire. 6 For you are ( I ) a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be ( J ) a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the [ k ] earth.
7 “ ( K ) The Lord did not [ l ] make you His beloved nor choose you because you were greater in number than any of the peoples, since you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you and kept the ( L ) oath which He swore to your forefathers, ( M ) the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of [ m ] slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God, ( N ) He is God, ( O ) the faithful God, ( P ) who keeps [ n ] His covenant and [ o ] His faithfulness to a thousand generations for those who ( Q ) love Him and keep His commandments; 10 but He ( R ) repays those who hate Him to [ p ] their faces, to eliminate [ q ] them; He will not hesitate toward him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. 11 Therefore, you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.
12 “ ( S ) Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep [ r ] His covenant with you and [ s ] His faithfulness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 And He will ( T ) love you, bless you, and ( U ) make you numerous; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain, your new wine, and your oil, the newborn of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, [ t ] in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no sterile male or ( V ) infertile female among you or among your cattle. 15 And ( W ) the Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not inflict upon you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will give them to all who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will turn over to you; ( X ) your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be ( Y ) a snare to you.
17 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I ( Z ) dispossess them?’ 18 you are not to be afraid of them; you shall ( AA ) remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 ( AB ) the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders, and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Indeed, the Lord your God will send ( AC ) the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. 21 You are not to be terrified of them, because ( AD ) the Lord your God is in your midst, ( AE ) a great and awesome God. 22 ( AF ) And the Lord your God will drive away these nations from you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, otherwise the [ u ] wild animals would become too numerous for you. 23 ( AG ) But the Lord your God will turn them over to you, and will [ v ] throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 ( AH ) And He will hand over their kings to you, so that you will eliminate their name from under heaven; ( AI ) no one will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 The carved images of their gods you are to ( AJ ) burn with fire; you shall ( AK ) not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be ( AL ) trapped by it; for it is an ( AM ) abomination to the Lord your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abomination into your house and become ( AN ) designated for destruction, like it; you are to utterly detest it, and you are to utterly loathe it, for it is something designated for destruction.
7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess ( A ) and drives out before you many nations ( B ) —the Hittites, ( C ) Girgashites, ( D ) Amorites, ( E ) Canaanites, Perizzites, ( F ) Hivites ( G ) and Jebusites, ( H ) seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered ( I ) them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy ( J ) them totally. [ a ] ( K ) Make no treaty ( L ) with them, and show them no mercy. ( M ) 3 Do not intermarry with them. ( N ) Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, ( O ) and the Lord ’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy ( P ) you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles [ b ] ( Q ) and burn their idols in the fire. ( R ) 6 For you are a people holy ( S ) to the Lord your God. ( T ) The Lord your God has chosen ( U ) you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. ( V )
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous ( W ) than other peoples, for you were the fewest ( X ) of all peoples. ( Y ) 8 But it was because the Lord loved ( Z ) you and kept the oath he swore ( AA ) to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand ( AB ) and redeemed ( AC ) you from the land of slavery, ( AD ) from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; ( AE ) he is the faithful God, ( AF ) keeping his covenant of love ( AG ) to a thousand generations ( AH ) of those who love him and keep his commandments. ( AI ) 10 But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. ( AJ )
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. ( AK ) 13 He will love you and bless you ( AL ) and increase your numbers. ( AM ) He will bless the fruit of your womb, ( AN ) the crops of your land—your grain, new wine ( AO ) and olive oil ( AP ) —the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. ( AQ ) 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. ( AR ) 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. ( AS ) He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, ( AT ) but he will inflict them on all who hate you. ( AU ) 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. ( AV ) Do not look on them with pity ( AW ) and do not serve their gods, ( AX ) for that will be a snare ( AY ) to you.
17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out? ( AZ ) ” 18 But do not be afraid ( BA ) of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. ( BB ) 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand ( BC ) and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. ( BD ) 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet ( BE ) among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, ( BF ) is a great and awesome God. ( BG ) 22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. ( BH ) You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. ( BI ) 24 He will give their kings ( BJ ) into your hand, ( BK ) and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; ( BL ) you will destroy them. ( BM ) 25 The images of their gods you are to burn ( BN ) in the fire. Do not covet ( BO ) the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared ( BP ) by it, for it is detestable ( BQ ) to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. ( BR ) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
