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15 thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly with all that is therein and the beasts thereof, with the edge of the sword.

16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of its plaza and shalt burn the city with fire and all the spoil thereof, all of it, unto the LORD thy God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall never be built again.

17 And none of the anathema shall cleave to thine hand that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show thee mercy and have compassion upon thee and multiply thee, as he has sworn unto thy fathers,

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15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,[a](A) both its people and its livestock.(B) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(C) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(D) That town is to remain a ruin(E) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[b] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(F) will show you mercy,(G) and will have compassion(H) on you. He will increase your numbers,(I) as he promised(J) on oath to your ancestors—

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:15 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  2. Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.