Study Desk

Driving Out the Nations

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—

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)

Do not intermarry with them.⁽ⁿ⁾ Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,

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.

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)

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)

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)

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.

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)

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)

Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.

You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?^(az)"

But do not be afraid^(ba) of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.^(bb)

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)

Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet^(be) among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished.

Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you,^(bf) is a great and awesome God.^(bg)

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.

But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.^(bi)

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)

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.

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.

Do Not Forget the Lord

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live^(a) and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.^(b)

Remember how the Lord your God led^(c) you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test^(d) you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

He humbled^(e) you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,^(f) which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach^(g) you that man does not live on bread^(h) alone but on every word that comes from the mouth⁽ⁱ⁾ of the Lord .^(j)

Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.^(k)

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.^(l)

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him^(m) and revering him.⁽ⁿ⁾

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land^(o)—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;^(p)

a land with wheat and barley,^(q) vines^(r) and fig trees,^(s) pomegranates, olive oil and honey;^(t)

a land where bread^(u) will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;^(v) a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.^(w)

When you have eaten and are satisfied,^(x) praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Be careful that you do not forget^(y) the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,^(z)

and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,

then your heart will become proud and you will forget^(aa) the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness,^(ab) that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes^(ac) and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.^(ad)

He gave you manna^(ae) to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known,^(af) to humble and test^(ag) you so that in the end it might go well with you.

You may say to yourself,^(ah) "My power and the strength of my hands^(ai) have produced this wealth for me."

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,^(aj) and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods^(ak) and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.^(al)

Like the nations^(am) the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.^(an)