16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God is delivering over to you and not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

17 “If you say to yourself, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I drive them out?’ 18 do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: 19 the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you fear. 20 The Lord your God will also send hornets against them until all the survivors and those hiding from you perish.(A) 21 Don’t be terrified of them, for the Lord your God, a great and awesome God, is among you. 22 The Lord your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be able to destroy them all at once; otherwise, the wild animals will become too numerous for you.(B) 23 The Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them. 25 Burn up the carved images of their gods. Don’t covet the silver and gold on the images and take it for yourself, or else you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You are to abhor and detest it utterly because it is set apart for destruction.

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16 And you shall devour all of the peoples that Yahweh your God is giving to you; you shall not pity them,[a] and you shall not serve their gods, which will be a snare for you.

17 “If you think in your heart, ‘These nations are more numerous than I, so how can I dispossess them?’ 18 then remember you must not be afraid of them; you must well remember what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt: 19 the great trials that your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the workings of the strong hand and the outstretched arm by which Yahweh your God brought you out; so Yahweh your God will do to all of the peoples because of whom[b] you are in fear before them.[c] 20 And, moreover, Yahweh your God will send the hornets[d] among them until both the survivors and the fugitives are destroyed[e] before you.[f] 21 You must not be in dread from the presence of them, because Yahweh your God, who is in your midst, is a great and awesome God. 22 And Yahweh your God will clear away these nations from before you[g] little by little; you will not be able to finish them off quickly, lest[h] the wild animals[i] multiply[j] against you.[k] 23 But Yahweh your God will give them to you,[l] and he will throw them into great panic until they are destroyed.[m] 24 And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall blot out their names[n] from under the heaven; anyone will not be able to stand against you[o] until you destroy them.[p] 25 You shall burn the images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, and so you take it for yourself, so that you are not ensnared by it, for it is a detestable thing to Yahweh your God. 26 And you must not bring a detestable thing into your house, or you will become a thing devoted to destruction like it; you must utterly detest it, and you must utterly abhor it, for it is an object devoted to destruction.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:16 Literally “your eye shall not take pity on them”
  2. Deuteronomy 7:19 Literally “from them”
  3. Deuteronomy 7:19 Literally “from their presence”
  4. Deuteronomy 7:20 Hebrew “hornet”
  5. Deuteronomy 7:20 Literally “the destroying of”
  6. Deuteronomy 7:20 Literally “from your faces”
  7. Deuteronomy 7:22 Literally “from your faces”
  8. Deuteronomy 7:22 Literally “so that not”
  9. Deuteronomy 7:22 Literally “animals of the field”
  10. Deuteronomy 7:22 Literally “will become numerous”
  11. Deuteronomy 7:22 Literally “on you”
  12. Deuteronomy 7:23 Literally “give them to your face”
  13. Deuteronomy 7:23 Literally “until their destroying”
  14. Deuteronomy 7:24 Hebrew “name”
  15. Deuteronomy 7:24 Literally “in your faces”
  16. Deuteronomy 7:24 Literally “until your destroying them”