Exodus 23:20-33
New Living Translation
A Promise of the Lord’s Presence
20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. 22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. 24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.
25 “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I[a] will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. 26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. 28 I will send terror[b] ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. 30 I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land. 31 And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea,[c] and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River.[d] I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
32 “Make no treaties with them or their gods. 33 They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”
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Exodus 23:20-33
English Standard Version
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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 23:25 Septuagint, Vulgate I
- Exodus 23:28 Or the hornet
- Exodus 23:31 Hebrew the River
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
