Driving Out the Nations

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)

³ But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you^(A) like a devouring fire.^(B) He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,^(C) as the Lord has promised you.

⁴ After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,^(D) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness^(E) of these nations^(F) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. ⁵ It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity^(G) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness^(H) of these nations,^(I) the Lord your God will drive them out^(J) before you, to accomplish what he swore^(K) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.^(L)

² Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,^(A) on the hills and under every spreading tree,^(B) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. ³ Break down their altars, smash^(C) their sacred stones and burn^(D) their Asherah^(E) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names^(F) from those places.

⁴ You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.^(G)

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.