Exodus 23:20-33
Lexham English Bible
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.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Hittite”
- Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Perizzite”
- Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Hivite”
- Exodus 23:23 Hebrew “Jebusite”
- Exodus 23:26 Or “give you a full life span”
- Exodus 23:27 Literally “give all your enemies to you back”
- Exodus 23:28 Hebrew “Hivite”
- Exodus 23:28 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Exodus 23:28 Hebrew “Hittite”
- Exodus 23:29 Literally “the animal of the field”
- Exodus 23:31 Literally “sea of reed”
- Exodus 23:31 Or “the Euphrates”
Exodus 23:20-33
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Conquest of Canaan Promised
20 “I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.(A) 21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.(B)
22 “But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.(C)
23 “When my angel goes in front of you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,(D) 24 you shall not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces.(E) 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and I[a] will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.(F) 26 No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.(G) 27 I will send my terror in front of you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send swarms of hornets[b] in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.(H) 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you.(I) 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 I will set your borders from the Red Sea[c] to the sea of the Philistines and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you.(J) 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.(K) 33 They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”(L)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.