13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years(A) your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved(B) and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out(C) with great possessions.(D) 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors(E) in peace and be buried at a good old age.(F) 16 In the fourth generation(G) your descendants will come back here,(H) for the sin of the Amorites(I) has not yet reached its full measure.”

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32 Do not make a covenant(A) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(B) to you.”

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11 Obey what I command(A) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(B) 12 Be careful not to make a treaty(C) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare(D) among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a](E) 14 Do not worship any other god,(F) for the Lord, whose name(G) is Jealous, is a jealous God.(H)

15 “Be careful not to make a treaty(I) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute(J) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.(K) 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives(L) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,(M) they will lead your sons to do the same.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:13 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you(A) became defiled.(B) 25 Even the land was defiled;(C) so I punished it for its sin,(D) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.(E) 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.(F) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land,(G) it will vomit you out(H) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements(I) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.(J)’”

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Then Israel made this vow(A) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a](B) their cities.” The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(C) over to them. They completely destroyed them(D) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[b](E)

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.
  2. Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.

34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[a](A) them—men, women and children. We left no survivors.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

We completely destroyed[a] them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying[b](A) every city—men, women and children.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 3:6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  2. Deuteronomy 3:6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

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)

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.

After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,(A) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness(B) of these nations(C) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity(D) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness(E) of these nations,(F) the Lord your God will drive them out(G) before you, to accomplish what he swore(H) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(I)

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12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.(A)

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16 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.(A) 17 Completely destroy[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,(B) and you will sin(C) against the Lord your God.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 20:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

17 Remember what the Amalekites(A) did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.(B) 19 When the Lord your God gives you rest(C) from all the enemies(D) around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek(E) from under heaven. Do not forget!

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21 They devoted(A) the city to the Lord and destroyed(B) with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

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26 For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin(A) until he had destroyed[a](B) all who lived in Ai.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 8:26 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

The Israelites said to the Hivites,(A) “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty(B) with you?”

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14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire(A) of the Lord.

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Southern Cities Conquered

28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors.(A) And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.(B)

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11 Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed[a] them,(A) not sparing anyone that breathed,(B) and he burned(C) Hazor itself.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 11:11 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 12, 20 and 21.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites(A) for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally(B) destroy[a] all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 15:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20 and 21.

Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs(A) are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey(B) the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.(C) If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents[a] of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”(D)

10 So the king took his signet ring(E) from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 3:9 That is, about 375 tons or about 340 metric tons

34 They did not destroy(A) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded(B) them,

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