ISRAEL TO DESTROY IDOLATROUS NATIONS

7 “When the Lord your God brings you into the landa you are entering to possess,b and he drives out many nations before you—the Hethites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nationsc more numerous and powerful than youd—2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroye them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.f 3 You must not intermarry with them, and you must not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,g 4 because they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods.h Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you,i and he will swiftly destroy you. 5 Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles,j and burn their carved images. 6 For you are a holy peoplek belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possessionl out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

7 “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But because the Lord lovedm you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemedn you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.o 10 But he directly pays backA and destroys those who hate him.p He will not hesitate to pay back directlyB the one who hates him. 11 So keep the command—the statutes and ordinances—that I am giving you to follow today.

12 “If you listen to and are careful to keep these ordinances, the Lord your God will keep his covenant loyalty with you, as he swore to your ancestors.q