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
International Standard Version
God Promises Help as the Israelis Enter Canaan
20 “Look, I’m sending an angel in front of you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I’ve prepared. 21 Be careful! Be sure to obey him. Don’t rebel against him, because he won’t forgive your transgression, since my Name is in him. 22 Indeed, if you carefully obey him and do everything that I say, then I’ll be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries, 23 because my angel will go ahead of you and will bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I’ll annihilate them. 24 You are not to bow down to their gods or serve them. You are not to follow their practices,[a] but you are to overthrow them completely and smash their sacred stones[b] to pieces. 25 You are to serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your food[c] and water, and I’ll remove sickness from you. 26 No woman will miscarry or be barren in your land, and I’ll make every day of your life complete.[d]
27 “I’ll go ahead of you and terrorize all the people to whom you are coming. I’ll confuse your enemies and make them turn their backs on you and run away.[e] 28 I’ll send hornets ahead of you and they’ll 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 that the land does not become desolate and so that wild animals do not overrun you. 30 I’ll drive them out ahead of you little by little until you increase in numbers[f] and possess the land.
31 “I’ll set your borders from the Reed[g] Sea to the Sea of the Philistines,[h] and from the desert to the Euphrates[i] River, bringing[j] the inhabitants of the land under your control,[k] and you are to drive them out ahead of you. 32 You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They are not to live in your land. Otherwise they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a snare for you.”
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- Exodus 23:24 Lit. do their deeds
- Exodus 23:24 Or pillars
- Exodus 23:25 Or bread
- Exodus 23:26 Lit. make the number of your days full
- Exodus 23:27 The Heb. lacks and run away
- Exodus 23:30 Lit. you are fruitful
- Exodus 23:31 So MT; LXX reads Red
- Exodus 23:31 I.e. Mediterranean Sea
- Exodus 23:31 MT lacks Euphrates
- Exodus 23:31 Lit. giving
- Exodus 23:31 Lit. into your hand
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