^12 (A)Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. ^13 (B)But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their ^[a](C)Asherim ¹⁴ —for ^(D)you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— ¹⁵ otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and ^(E)sacrifice to their gods, and someone ^(F)might invite you ^[b]to eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and ^(G)you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

⁴ For ^[a]they will turn your ^[b]sons away from ^[c]following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and ^(A)He will quickly destroy you.

⁵ It is ^(A)not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm ^(B)the ^[a]oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

³⁰ beware that you are not ensnared ^[a]to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ ^31 (A)You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for ^(B)they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.