Deuteronomy 7:10-24
New Catholic Bible
10 But upon those who hate him, he will avenge himself face to face, wiping them out. He will not delay in avenging himself face to face with those who hate him.[a] 11 Therefore, be careful to observe the commandments, statutes, and decrees that I give you today.
12 Blessings of the Covenant. If you obey these decrees and carefully observe them, then the Lord, your God, will preserve his covenant of mercy with you, as he promised to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the crops on your land, your grain, your wine and your oil, as well as the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks, in the land that he promised to your forefathers to give to you. 14 You will be more greatly blessed[b] than any other people. None of your men or women will be childless, none of your cattle will be without young. 15 The Lord will protect you from all illnesses. He will not inflict upon you any of the terrible diseases that you encountered in Egypt, but rather he will send them upon everyone who hates you. 16 You must annihilate all of the people whom the Lord, your God, delivers over to you. Do not look with pity upon them; do not serve their gods, for this would be a snare for you. 17 [c]You should say to yourselves, “These nations were stronger than we were. How did we ever drive them out?” 18 Do not be afraid of them. Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Pharaoh and to the whole of Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the tremendous trials, signs, and wonders, how with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm the Lord, your God, brought you out. The Lord, your God, will do the same things to all of those people of whom you are afraid. 20 The Lord, your God, will destroy them by sending hornets into the midst of those who survived and are hiding. 21 Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord, your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. 22 Little by little the Lord, your God, will drive out those nations before you. You will not be able to eliminate them immediately, lest the wild animals around you multiply too much. 23 The Lord, your God, will hand them over to you, throwing them into a great confusion until they are totally wiped out. 24 He will deliver kings into your hands, and you will wipe out their names from under the heavens. No one will be able to stand up to you. You will destroy them.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 7:10 Each individual is personally responsible before God, as Ezekiel will later say in vigorous language (Ezek 18).
- Deuteronomy 7:14 More greatly blessed: loving and obeying the Lord reaps fruitful benefits, whether materially or more importantly, as gifts of peace, hope, and joy in the face of trials.
- Deuteronomy 7:17 This passage suggests that the region was not conquered as quickly as we might be led to think by the Book of Joshua, which simplifies the events. Israel could not settle in a wilderness; the anathema or law of destruction was therefore mitigated and never applied as systematically as some passages claim (see Jos 6:14-16).
