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Devote the Nations to Destruction

(A)When Yahweh your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and He clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, (B)seven nations more numerous and stronger than you, and when Yahweh your God gives them over before you and you strike them down, (C)then you shall devote them to destruction. (D)You shall cut no covenant with them (E)and show no favor to them. Furthermore, (F)you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your [a]daughters to [b]their sons, nor shall you take [c]their daughters for your [d]sons. For [e]they will turn your [f]sons away from [g]following Me, and they will serve other gods; then the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and (G)He will quickly destroy you. But thus you shall do to them: (H)you shall tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut their [h]Asherim in pieces and burn their graven images with fire. For you are (I)a holy people to Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be (J)a people for His [i]own treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the [j]earth.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit daughter
  2. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit his son
  3. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit his daughter
  4. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit son
  5. Deuteronomy 7:4 Lit he
  6. Deuteronomy 7:4 Lit son
  7. Deuteronomy 7:4 Lit after
  8. Deuteronomy 7:5 Wooden symbols of a female deity
  9. Deuteronomy 7:6 Or special treasure
  10. Deuteronomy 7:6 Lit ground

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)

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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.
  2. Deuteronomy 7:5 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Deuteronomy