God’s Faithfulness

3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? ² Much in every way!^(A) First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.^(B)

¹² If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.^{(A) 13} He will love you and bless you^(B) and increase your numbers.^(C) He will bless the fruit of your womb,^(D) the crops of your land—your grain, new wine^(E) and olive oil^(F)—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.^{(G) 14} You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.^{(H) 15} The Lord will keep you free from every disease.^(I) He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt,^(J) but he will inflict them on all who hate you.^{(K) 16} You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you.^(L) Do not look on them with pity^(M) and do not serve their gods,^(N) for that will be a snare^(O) to you.

¹⁷ You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?^(P)” ¹⁸ But do not be afraid^(Q) of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.^{(R) 19} You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand^(S) and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.^{(T) 20} Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet^(U) among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. ²¹ Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you,^(V) is a great and awesome God.^{(W) 22} The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.^(X) You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. ²³ But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.^{(Y) 24} He will give their kings^(Z) into your hand,^(AA) and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you;^(AB) you will destroy them.^(AC)

²⁰ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife^(A) and defile yourself with her.

²¹ “‘Do not give any of your children^(B) to be sacrificed to Molek,^(C) for you must not profane the name of your God.^(D) I am the Lord.^(E)

²² “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;^(F) that is detestable.^(G)

²³ “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.^(H)

²⁴ “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you^(I) became defiled.^{(J) 25} Even the land was defiled;^(K) so I punished it for its sin,^(L) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.^{(M) 26} But you must keep my decrees and my laws.^(N) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land,^(O) it will vomit you out^(P) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

²⁹ “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements^(Q) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.^(R)’”