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Deuteronomy 7
New English Translation

The Dispossession of Nonvassals

7 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you—Hittites,[a] Girgashites,[b] Amorites,[c] Canaanites,[d] Perizzites,[e] Hivites,[f] and Jebusites,[g] seven[h] nations more numerous and powerful than you— 2 and he[i] delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate[j] them. Make no treaty[k] with them and show them no mercy! 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters[l] to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they[m] will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you. 5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars,[n] cut down their sacred Asherah poles,[o] and burn up their idols. 6 For you are a people holy[p] to the Lord your God. He[q] has chosen you to be his people, prized[r] above all others on the face of the earth.

The Basis of Israel’s Election

7 It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you—for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples. 8 Rather it is because of his[s] love[t] for you and his faithfulness to the promise[u] he solemnly vowed[v] to your ancestors[w] that the Lord brought you out with great power,[x] redeeming[y] you from the place of slavery, from the power[z] of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 So realize that the Lord your God is the true God,[aa] the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully[ab] with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 but who pays back those who hate[ac] him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore[ad] those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve! 11 So keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that I today am commanding you to do.

Promises of Good for Covenant Obedience

12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you[ae] as he promised[af] your ancestors. 13 He will love and bless you, and make you numerous. He will bless you with many children,[ag] with the produce of your soil, your grain, your new wine, your olive oil, the offspring of your oxen, and the young of your flocks in the land that he promised your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed beyond all peoples; there will be no barrenness[ah] among you or your livestock. 15 The Lord will protect you from all sickness, and you will not experience any of the terrible diseases that you knew in Egypt; instead he will inflict them on all those who hate you.

Exhortation to Destroy Canaanite Paganism

16 You must destroy[ai] all the people whom the Lord your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them or worship[aj] their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 17 If you think, “These nations are more numerous than I—how can I dispossess them?” 18 you must not fear them. You must carefully recall[ak] what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt, 19 the great judgments[al] you saw, the signs and wonders, the strength and power[am] by which he[an] brought you out—thus the Lord your God will do to all the people you fear. 20 Furthermore, the Lord your God will release hornets[ao] among them until the very last ones who hide from you[ap] perish. 21 You must not tremble in their presence, for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a great and awesome God. 22 He,[aq] the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you. 23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great panic[ar] until they are destroyed. 24 He will hand over their kings to you, and you will erase their very names from memory.[as] Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them. 25 You must burn the images of their gods, but do not covet the silver and gold that covers them so much that you take it for yourself and thus become ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent[at] to the Lord your God. 26 You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house and thereby become an object of divine wrath[au] along with it.[av] You must absolutely detest[aw] and abhor it,[ax] for it is an object of divine wrath.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 b.c.) they were at their zenith, establishing outposts and colonies near and far. Some elements were obviously in Canaan at the time of the Conquest (1400-1350 b.c.).
  2. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Girgashites. These cannot be ethnically identified and are unknown outside the OT. They usually appear in such lists only when the intention is to have seven groups in all (see also the note on the word “seven” later in this verse).
  3. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 b.c. or thereabouts.
  4. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000 b.c.). The OT identifies them as descendants of Ham (Gen 10:6), the only Hamites to have settled north and east of Egypt.
  5. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
  6. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Hivites. These are usually thought to be the same as the Hurrians, a people well-known in ancient Near Eastern texts. They are likely identical to the Horites (see note on the term “Horites” in Deut 2:12).
  7. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Jebusites. These inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).
  8. Deuteronomy 7:1 sn Seven. This is an ideal number in the OT, one symbolizing fullness or completeness. Therefore, the intent of the text here is not to be precise and list all of Israel’s enemies but simply to state that Israel will have a full complement of foes to deal with. For other lists of Canaanites, some with fewer than seven peoples, see Exod 3:8; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut 20:17; Josh 3:10; 9:1; 24:11. Moreover, the “Table of Nations” (Gen 10:15-19) suggests that all of these (possibly excepting the Perizzites) were offspring of Canaan and therefore Canaanites.
  9. Deuteronomy 7:2 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  10. Deuteronomy 7:2 tn In the Hebrew text the infinitive absolute before the finite verb emphasizes the statement. The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here. Cf. ASV “shalt (must NRSV) utterly destroy them”; CEV “must destroy them without mercy.”
  11. Deuteronomy 7:2 tn Heb “covenant” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “alliance.”
  12. Deuteronomy 7:3 sn Heb “Do not give your daughter to his son.” The command (beginning at 7:1) is given in the singular form of “you” to emphasize individual responsibility. At this point, the Hebrew also switches from the plural (see previous clause) to the singular in reference to the Canaanite sons and daughters. While the principle applies to everyone in the nation, the rhetorical presentation is of an individual father making a decision about his specific child and a particular potential spouse.
  13. Deuteronomy 7:4 tn Heb “he will,” envisioning a particular case. See note in previous verse.
  14. Deuteronomy 7:5 sn Sacred pillars. The Hebrew word (מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) denotes a standing pillar, usually made of stone. Its purpose was to mark the presence of a shrine or altar thought to have been visited by deity. Though sometimes associated with pure worship of the Lord (Gen 28:18, 22; 31:13; 35:14; Exod 24:4), these pillars were usually associated with pagan cults and rituals (Exod 23:24; 34:13; Deut 12:3; 1 Kgs 14:23; 2 Kgs 17:10; Hos 3:4; 10:1; Jer 43:13).
  15. Deuteronomy 7:5 sn Sacred Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [ʾasherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
  16. Deuteronomy 7:6 tn That is, “set apart.”
  17. Deuteronomy 7:6 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  18. Deuteronomy 7:6 tn Or “treasured” (so NIV, NRSV); NLT “his own special treasure.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (segullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4-6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224.
  19. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn Heb “the Lord’s.” See note on “He” in 7:6.
  20. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn For the verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) as a term of choice or election, see note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
  21. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
  22. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
  23. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).
  24. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
  25. Deuteronomy 7:8 sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the Lord as ransom in exchange for deliverance from bondage and death (Exod 12:1-14). Later, the firstborn sons of Israel, represented by the Levites, became the ransom (Num 3:11-13). These were all types of the redemption effected by the death of Christ who described his atoning work as “a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. 1 Pet 1:18).
  26. Deuteronomy 7:8 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
  27. Deuteronomy 7:9 tn Heb “the God.” The article here expresses uniqueness; cf. TEV “is the only God”; NLT “is indeed God.”
  28. Deuteronomy 7:9 tn Heb “who keeps covenant and loyalty.” The syndetic construction of בְּרִית (berit) and חֶסֶד (khesed) should be understood not as “covenant” plus “loyalty” but as an adverbial construction in which חֶסֶד (“loyalty”) modifies the verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “keeps”).
  29. Deuteronomy 7:10 tn For the term “hate” as synonymous with rejection or disobedience see note on the word “reject” in Deut 5:9 (cf. NRSV “reject”).
  30. Deuteronomy 7:10 tn Heb “he will not hesitate concerning.”
  31. Deuteronomy 7:12 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
  32. Deuteronomy 7:12 tn Heb “which he swore on oath.” The relative pronoun modifies “covenant,” so one could translate “will keep faithfully the covenant (or promise) he made on oath to your ancestors.”
  33. Deuteronomy 7:13 tn Heb “will bless the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
  34. Deuteronomy 7:14 sn One of the ironies about the promises to the patriarchs concerning offspring was the characteristic barrenness of the wives of the men to whom these pledges were made (cf. Gen 11:30; 25:21; 29:31). Their affliction is in each case described by the very Hebrew word used here (עֲקָרָה, ʿaqarah), an affliction that will no longer prevail in Canaan.
  35. Deuteronomy 7:16 tn Heb “devour” (so NRSV); KJV, NAB, NASB “consume.” The verbal form (a perfect with vav consecutive) is understood here as having an imperatival or obligatory nuance (cf. the instructions and commands that follow). Another option is to take the statement as a continuation of the preceding conditional promises and translate “and you will destroy.”
  36. Deuteronomy 7:16 tn Or “serve” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).
  37. Deuteronomy 7:18 tn Heb “recalling, you must recall.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis. Cf. KJV, ASV “shalt well remember.”
  38. Deuteronomy 7:19 tn Heb “testings” (so NAB), a reference to the plagues. See note at 4:34.
  39. Deuteronomy 7:19 tn Heb “the strong hand and outstretched arm.” See 4:34.
  40. Deuteronomy 7:19 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  41. Deuteronomy 7:20 tn The meaning of the term translated “hornets” (צִרְעָה, tsirʿah) is debated. Various suggestions are “discouragement” (HALOT 1056-57 s.v.; cf. NEB, TEV, CEV “panic”; NCV “terror”) and “leprosy” (J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [JPSTC], 360, n. 33; cf. NRSV “the pestilence”), as well as “hornet” (BDB 864 s.v.; cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT). The latter seems most suitable to the verb שָׁלַח (shalakh, “send”; cf. Exod 23:28; Josh 24:12).
  42. Deuteronomy 7:20 tn Heb “the remnant and those who hide themselves.”
  43. Deuteronomy 7:22 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 7:19.
  44. Deuteronomy 7:23 tn Heb “he will confuse them (with) great confusion.” The verb used here means “shake, stir up” (see Ruth 1:19; 1 Sam 4:5; 1 Kgs 1:45; Ps 55:2); the accompanying cognate noun refers to confusion, unrest, havoc, or panic (1 Sam 5:9, 11; 14:20; 2 Chr 15:5; Prov 15:16; Isa 22:5; Ezek 7:7; 22:5; Amos 3:9; Zech 14:13).
  45. Deuteronomy 7:24 tn Heb “you will destroy their name from under heaven” (cf. KJV); NRSV “blot out their name from under heaven.”
  46. Deuteronomy 7:25 tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah, “abhorrent; detestable”) describes anything detestable to the Lord because of its innate evil or inconsistency with his own nature and character. Frequently such things (or even persons) must be condemned to annihilation (חֵרֶם, kherem) lest they become a means of polluting or contaminating others (cf. Deut 13:17; 20:17-18). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:315.
  47. Deuteronomy 7:26 tn Heb “come under the ban” (so NASB); NRSV “be set apart for destruction.” The same phrase occurs again at the end of this verse.sn The Hebrew word translated an object of divine wrath (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to persons or things placed under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction. See note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
  48. Deuteronomy 7:26 tn Or “like it is.”
  49. Deuteronomy 7:26 tn This Hebrew verb (שָׁקַץ, shaqats) is essentially synonymous with the next verb (תָעַב, taʿav; cf. תּוֹעֵבָה, toʿevah; see note on the word “abhorrent” in v. 25), though its field of meaning is more limited to cultic abomination (cf. Lev 11:11, 13; Ps 22:25).
  50. Deuteronomy 7:26 tn Heb “detesting you must detest and abhorring you must abhor.” Both verbs are preceded by a cognate infinitive absolute indicating emphasis.
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Deuteronomio 7
Dios Habla Hoy

Advertencias contra la idolatría(A)

7 »El Señor, el Dios de ustedes, los va a hacer entrar en el país del cual han de tomar posesión, y echará de la presencia de ustedes a siete naciones más grandes y poderosas que ustedes: los hititas, los gergeseos, los amorreos, los cananeos, los ferezeos, los heveos y los jebuseos. 2 Cuando el Señor su Dios haya hecho caer a estas naciones en poder de ustedes, y ustedes las hayan derrotado, deberán destinarlas a la destrucción y no hacer con ellas ningún pacto ni tenerles compasión. 3 Tampoco deberán ustedes emparentar con ellas, ni casar a sus hijos e hijas con las jóvenes y los muchachos de esa gente, 4 porque ellos harán que los hijos de ustedes se aparten del Señor y adoren a otros dioses; entonces la ira del Señor se encenderá contra ustedes y los destruirá en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. 5 Lo que tienen que hacer es derribar los altares paganos de ellos, destruir por completo las piedras y los troncos a los que ellos rinden culto, y quemar sus ídolos. 6 Porque ustedes son un pueblo apartado especialmente para el Señor su Dios; el Señor los ha elegido de entre todos los pueblos de la tierra, para que ustedes le sean un pueblo especial.

Privilegios y obligaciones de Israel

7 »Si el Señor los ha preferido y elegido a ustedes, no es porque ustedes sean la más grande de las naciones, ya que en realidad son la más pequeña de todas ellas. 8 El Señor los sacó de Egipto, donde ustedes eran esclavos, y con gran poder los libró del dominio del faraón, porque los ama y quiso cumplir la promesa que había hecho a los antepasados de ustedes. 9 Reconozcan, pues, que el Señor su Dios es el Dios verdadero, que cumple fielmente su alianza generación tras generación, para con los que le aman y cumplen sus mandamientos; 10 pero que destruye a aquellos que le odian, dándoles su merecido. ¡Sin tardanza da su merecido a los que le odian! 11 Cumplan, pues, los mandamientos, leyes y decretos que en este día les ordeno que pongan en práctica.

Bendiciones de la obediencia(B)

12 »Si después de haber escuchado ustedes estos decretos, los cumplen y los ponen en práctica, entonces el Señor su Dios cumplirá fielmente su alianza y la promesa que hizo a los antepasados de ustedes. 13 Los amará a ustedes, los bendecirá y los hará crecer en número; bendecirá a sus hijos, sus cosechas, su trigo, su vino y su aceite, y las crías de sus vacas y ovejas, en el país que a sus antepasados juró que les daría. 14 Ustedes serán bendecidos más que todos los pueblos; no habrá entre ustedes mujer que no pueda concebir hijos ni hombre que no pueda engendrarlos, ni tampoco entre sus ganados habrá machos ni hembras estériles. 15 El Señor alejará de ustedes toda enfermedad y todas las terribles plagas que, como bien saben, envió sobre Egipto; en cambio, hará sufrir con ellas a todos sus enemigos. 16 Pero ustedes deben exterminar a todos los pueblos que el Señor su Dios ponga en sus manos; no les tengan compasión ni adoren a sus dioses, porque eso será la perdición de ustedes.

17 »Tal vez ustedes lleguen a pensar: “Estas naciones son más numerosas que nosotros; ¿cómo podremos desalojarlas?” 18 ¡Pues no les tengan miedo! Acuérdense de lo que hizo el Señor su Dios con el faraón y con todos los egipcios; 19 piensen en las grandes pruebas de las que ustedes fueron testigos, y en las señales y prodigios y en el gran poder que desplegó el Señor su Dios cuando los sacó de Egipto. Eso mismo hará el Señor con todos los pueblos a quienes ustedes temen. 20 Además, el Señor enviará un tremendo pánico entre ellos, que acabará con los que hayan quedado con vida o se hayan escondido. 21 Así que no tiemblen ante ellos, porque el Señor su Dios, el Dios grande y terrible, está con ustedes. 22 Poco a poco el Señor irá expulsando a estas naciones; ustedes no podrán acabar con ellas de una sola vez, porque el número de bestias salvajes aumentaría a su alrededor y los atacaría. 23 Pero el Señor su Dios pondrá estas naciones en sus manos e irá acabando con ellas hasta que sean destruidas. 24 A sus reyes los someterá al poder de ustedes, y ustedes harán que nadie en el mundo vuelva a acordarse de ellos. Ninguno de ellos podrá resistir el ataque de ustedes, así que ustedes los exterminarán a todos. 25 Quemarán ustedes las imágenes de sus dioses, pero no intenten quedarse con el oro y la plata que las recubren; no caigan en esa tentación, pues cometerían una acción despreciable ante el Señor. 26 Por lo tanto, no lleven a su casa nada que sea despreciable, para que ustedes no sean también destruidos. Eso está destinado a la destrucción, así que deben considerarlo como algo despreciable.

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Deuteronomy 7
King James Version

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.

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