⁵² drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.^(A)

Reward for Obedience

26 “‘Do not make idols^(A) or set up an image^(B) or a sacred stone^(C) for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone^(D) in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.

²⁴ Do not bow down before their gods or worship^(A) them or follow their practices.^(B) You must demolish^(C) them and break their sacred stones^(D) to pieces.

¹⁶ However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.^{(A) 17} Completely destroy^[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,^(B) and you will sin^(C) against the Lord your God.

² and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,^(A) but you shall break down their altars.^(B)’ Yet you have disobeyed^(C) me. Why have you done this?

² Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,^(A) on the hills and under every spreading tree,^(B) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. ³ Break down their altars, smash^(C) their sacred stones and burn^(D) their Asherah^(E) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names^(F) from those places.

² and when the Lord your God has delivered^(A) them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy^(B) them totally.^[a](C) Make no treaty^(D) with them, and show them no mercy.^{(E) 3} Do not intermarry with them.^(F) Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, ⁴ for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods,^(G) and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy^(H) you. ⁵ This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles^[b](I) and burn their idols in the fire.^(J)

⁷ Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear^(A) by them. You must not serve them or bow down^(B) to them.