Exodus 23:20-33
New American Standard Bible
Conquest of the Land
20 “Behold, I am going to send (A)an angel before you to guard you along the way and (B)to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and obey his voice; (C)do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your rebellion, since (D)My name is in him. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then (E)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 (F)For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24 (G)You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; (H)but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their (I)memorial stones in pieces. 25 (J)And you shall serve the Lord your God, [a]and He will bless your bread and your water; and (K)I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 There will be no one miscarrying or (L)unable to have children in your land; (M)I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will (N)send My terror ahead of you, and (O)throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will (P)make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send (Q)hornets ahead of you so that they will (R)drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from you. 29 (S)I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you. 30 I will drive them out from you (T)little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 (U)I will set your boundary from the [b]Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; (V)for I will hand over the inhabitants of the land to you, and you will (W)drive them out from you. 32 (X)You shall [c]make no covenant with them (Y)or with their gods. 33 (Z)They shall not live in your land, otherwise they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, (AA)it is certain to be a snare to you.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 23:25 Or that He may bless
- Exodus 23:31 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 23:32 Lit cut
Exodus 23:20-33
Common English Bible
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 23:21 Or my name
- Exodus 23:31 Or Red Sea
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