Conquest of Canaan Promised

20 (A)“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; (B)do not rebel against him, (C)for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then (D)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 (E)“When my angel goes before you and brings you (F)to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall (G)not bow down to their gods nor serve them, (H)nor do as they do, but (I)you shall utterly overthrow them and break their (J)pillars in pieces. 25 You (K)shall serve the Lord your God, and (L)he[a] will bless your bread and your water, and (M)I will take sickness away from among you. 26 (N)None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the (O)number of your days. 27 I will send (P)my terror before you and will throw into (Q)confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And (R)I will send hornets[b] before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 (S)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 (T)And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates,[c] for (U)I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 (V)You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, (W)it will surely be a snare to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:25 Septuagint, Vulgate I
  2. Exodus 23:28 Or the hornet
  3. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew the River

God’s promise: messenger and land

20 I’m about to send a messenger in front of you to guard you on your way and to bring you to the place that I’ve made ready. 21 Pay attention to him and do as he says. Don’t rebel against him. He won’t forgive the things you do wrong because I[a] am with him. 22 But if you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, then I’ll be an enemy to your enemies and fight those fighting you.

23 When my messenger goes in front of you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I wipe them out, 24 don’t bow down to their gods, worship them, or do what they do. Instead, you should completely destroy them and smash their sacred stone pillars to bits. 25 If you worship the Lord your God, the Lord will bless your bread and your water. I’ll take sickness away from you, 26 and no woman will miscarry or be infertile in your land. I’ll let you live a full, long life. 27 My terrifying reputation will precede you, and I’ll throw all the people that you meet into a panic. I’ll make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 I’ll send insect swarms in front of you and drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 I won’t drive them out before you in a single year so the land won’t be abandoned and the wild animals won’t multiply around you. 30 I’ll drive them out before you little by little, until your numbers grow and you eventually possess the land. 31 I’ll set your borders from the Reed Sea[b] to the Philistine Sea and from the desert to the River. I’ll hand the inhabitants of the land over to you, and you will drive them out before you. 32 Don’t make any covenants with them or their gods. 33 Don’t allow them to live in your land, or else they will lead you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a dangerous trap for you.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:21 Or my name
  2. Exodus 23:31 Or Red Sea