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16 Afterwards you must pile all the booty into the middle of the street and burn it, then put the entire city to the torch, as a burnt offering to Jehovah your God. That city shall forever remain a lifeless mound and may never be rebuilt. 17 Keep none of the booty! Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you, and have compassion upon you, and make you a great nation just as he promised your ancestors.

18 “Of course, the Lord your God will be merciful only if you have been obedient to him and to his commandments that I am giving you today, and if you have been doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.

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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.