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16 You must put all the valuable things in a heap in the town's public place. Then burn down the whole town as an offering to the Lord your God. Leave the town as a heap of stones. Nobody must ever build it again. 17 You must not keep any of the valuable things for yourselves. They have been given to the Lord. If you destroy the whole town, the Lord will stop being angry. He will be kind to you and he will forgive you. He will cause you to grow into a big nation, as he promised your ancestors.

18 The Lord your God will bless you if you listen to what he says. You must obey all his commands that I am giving you today. You must do the things that he says are right.

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16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(A) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(B) That town is to remain a ruin(C) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[a] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(D) will show you mercy,(E) and will have compassion(F) on you. He will increase your numbers,(G) as he promised(H) on oath to your ancestors— 18 because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right(I) in his eyes.

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Footnotes

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