¹⁶ You will destroy all the peoples that the Lord your God is handing over to you. Show them no pity. And don’t serve their gods because that would be a trap for you.

Against power and lack of trust

¹⁷ If you happen to think to yourself, These nations are greater than we are; how can we possibly possess their land? ¹⁸ don’t be afraid of them! Remember, instead, what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: ¹⁹ the great trials that you saw with your own eyes, the signs and wonders, and the strong hand and outstretched arm the Lord your God used to rescue you. That’s what the Lord your God will do to any people you fear. ²⁰ The Lord your God will send terror^[a] on them until even the survivors and those hiding from you are destroyed. ²¹ Don’t dread these nations because the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is with you and among you. (²² The Lord your God will drive out these nations before you bit by bit. You won’t be able to finish them off quickly; otherwise, the wild animals would become too much for you to handle.) ²³ The Lord your God will lay these nations before you, throwing them into a huge panic until they are destroyed. ²⁴ He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe their names out from under the skies. No one will be able to stand before you; you will crush them.

²⁵ Burn the images of their gods. Don’t desire the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself, or you will be trapped by it. That is detestable to the Lord your God. ²⁶ Don’t bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be placed under the ban too, just like it is! You must utterly detest these kinds of things, despising them completely, because they are under the ban.