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20 “Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him. 22 But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off. 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars. 25 You shall serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land. 31 I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

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Reasons for Loyal Obedience

20 “‘Look, I am about to send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him. 22 But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. 23 When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites[a] and the Hittites[b] and the Perizzites[c] and the Canaanites[d] and the Hivites[e] and the Jebusites,[f] I will wipe them out.

24 “‘You will not bow to their gods, and you will not serve them, and you will not act according to their actions, because you will utterly demolish them, and you will utterly break their stone pillars. 25 And you will serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you. 26 There will be no one suffering miscarriage or infertile in your land. I will make full the number of your days.[g]

27 “‘I will release my terror before you, and I will throw into confusion all the people against whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their back to you.[h] 28 And I will send the hornet before you, and it will drive out the Hivites,[i] the Canaanites,[j] and the Hittites[k] from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a desolation and the wild animals[l] multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you are fruitful and take possession of the land.

31 “‘And I will set your boundary from the Red Sea[m] and up to the sea of the Philistines and from the desert up to the river,[n] because I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out from before you. 32 You will not make a covenant with them and with their gods. 33 They will not live in your land, lest they cause you to sin against me when you serve their gods, for it will be a snare to you.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Amorite”
  2. Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Hittite”
  3. Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  4. Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  5. Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Hivite”
  6. Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  7. Exodus 23:26 Or “give you a full life span”
  8. Exodus 23:27 Literally “give all your enemies to you back”
  9. Exodus 23:28 Hebrew “Hivite”
  10. Exodus 23:28 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  11. Exodus 23:28 Hebrew “Hittite”
  12. Exodus 23:29 Literally “the animal of the field”
  13. Exodus 23:31 Literally “sea of reed”
  14. Exodus 23:31 Or “the Euphrates”