Promises and Warnings

²⁰ “I am going to send an angel^(A) before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Be attentive to him and listen to him. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for my name is in him.^{(B) 22} But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy^(C) to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ²³ For my angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.^{(D) 24} Do not bow in worship to their gods, and do not serve them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them^[a] and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.^{(E) 25} Serve the Lord your God, and he^[b] will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you.^{(F) 26} No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days.^(G)

²⁷ “I will cause the people ahead of you to feel terror^[c] and will throw into confusion^(H) all the nations you come to. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in retreat.^{[d] 28} I will send hornets^[e](I) in front of you, and they will drive the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hethites away from you. ²⁹ I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you. ³⁰ I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous^[f] and take possession of the land. ³¹ I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea,^[g] and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River.^[h] For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.^{(J) 32} You must not make a covenant^(K) with them or their gods. ³³ They must not remain in your land, or else they will make you sin against me. If you serve their gods, it will be a snare for you.”^(L)

²⁴ Do not bow in worship to their gods, and do not serve them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them^[a] and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.^(A)

The First Lord’s Supper

²⁶ As they were eating,^(A) Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples,^(B) and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.”^{(C) 27} Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is my blood of the covenant,^[a] which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.^{(D) 29} But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”^(E)

¹⁸ That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. ¹⁹ For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,^[a] along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people,^{(A) 20} saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.^{[b](B) 21} In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.^{(C) 22} According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.^(D)