Not Because of Righteousness

“Hear, O Israel: you are (A)to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations (B)greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, (C)the sons of the Anakim, (D)whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ Know therefore today that he who (E)goes over before you (F)as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. (G)So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.

(H)“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is (I)because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. (J)Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm (K)the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

“Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are (L)a stubborn people.

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When the Lord Fulfills His Promise

“Listen, Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and dispossess greater and mightier nations than you, who live in[a] large cities that are fortified to the sky. The Anakim[b] are strong and tall, and you know them. You’ve heard it said, ‘Who can stand up against the Anakim?’[c] But know today that the Lord your God is going ahead of you as a consuming fire. He will destroy and subdue them before you. He will dispossess and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord told you. After the Lord has expelled them before you, you are not to say to yourselves, ‘The Lord caused me to enter and possess this land because of my righteousness.’ On the contrary, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you to confirm what the Lord promised by an oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Know that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving to you this good land to inherit, since you are a stubborn people.”

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Notas al pie

  1. Deuteronomy 9:1 The Heb. lacks who live in
  2. Deuteronomy 9:2 Or giants; cf. Num 13:22, 33
  3. Deuteronomy 9:2 Or giants; cf. Num 13:22, 33