1 The Israelites may make no covenant with the Gentiles. 5 They must destroy the idols. 8 The election dependeth on the free love of God. 19 The experience of the power of God ought to confirm us. 25 To avoid all occasion of idolatry.

When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, (A)and shall root out many nations before thee: the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou,

And the Lord thy God shall give them [a]before thee, then thou shalt smite them: thou shalt utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no (B)covenant with them, nor have compassion on them,

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them, neither give thy daughter unto his son, nor take his daughter unto thy son.

For [b]they will cause thy son to turn away from me, and to serve other gods: then will the wrath of the Lord wax hot against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

But thus ye shall deal with them, [c]Ye shall overthrow their altars, and break down their pillars, and ye shall cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

(C)For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, (D)the Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be a precious people unto himself, above all people that are upon the earth.

The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor chose you, because ye were more in number than any people: for ye were the fewest of all people:

But because the Lord [d]loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, the Lord hath brought you out by a mighty hand, and delivered you out of the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt.

That thou mayest know, [e]that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy unto them that love him and keep his commandments, even to a thousand generations,

10 And rewardeth [f]them to their face that hate him, to bring them to destruction: he will not defer to reward him that hateth him, to his face.

11 Keep thou therefore the commandments, and the ordinances, and the laws, which I command thee this day to do them.

12 ¶ For if ye hearken unto these laws, and observe and do them, then the Lord thy God shall keep with thee the covenant, and the [g]mercy which he sware unto thy fathers.

13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine, and thine oil, and the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep in the land, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: (E)there shall be neither male nor female barren among you, nor among your cattle.

15 Moreover, the Lord will take away from thee all infirmities, and will put none of the evil diseases of (F)Egypt (which thou knowest) upon thee, but will send them upon all that hate thee.

16 Thou shalt therefore consume all people which the Lord thy God shall give thee: [h]thine eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serve their gods, for that shall be thy (G)destruction.

17 If thou say in thine heart, These nations are more than I, how can I cast them out?

18 Thou shalt not fear them, but remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:

19 The great [i]tentations which thine eyes saw, and the signs and wonders, and the mighty hand and stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people, whose face thou fearest.

20 (H)Moreover, the Lord thy God will send [j]hornets among them until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

21 Thou shalt not fear them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a God mighty and dreadful.

22 And the Lord thy God will root out these nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the [k]beasts of the field increase upon thee.

23 But the Lord thy God shall give them before thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be brought to naught.

24 And he shall deliver their Kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou hast destroyed them.

25 The graven images of their gods shall ye (I)burn with fire, and (J)covet not the silver and gold, that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou [l]be snared therewith: for it is an abomination before the Lord thy God.

26 Bring not therefore abomination into thine house, lest thou be accursed like it, but utterly abhor it, and count it most abominable: for it is (K)accursed.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:2 Into thy power.
  2. Deuteronomy 7:4 Or, any of them.
  3. Deuteronomy 7:5 God would have his service pure without all idolatrous ceremonies and superstitions, Deut. 22:3.
  4. Deuteronomy 7:8 Freely, finding no cause in you more than in others so to do.
  5. Deuteronomy 7:9 And so put difference between him and idols.
  6. Deuteronomy 7:10 Meaning, manifestly, or in this life.
  7. Deuteronomy 7:12 This covenant is grounded upon his free grace: therefore in recompensing their obedience, he hath respect to his mercy and not to their merits.
  8. Deuteronomy 7:16 We ought not to be merciful, where God commandeth severity.
  9. Deuteronomy 7:19 Or, plagues, or trials, Deut. 29:3; as Exod. 15:25 and Exod. 16:4.
  10. Deuteronomy 7:20 There is not so small a creature, which I will not arm to fight on thy side against them.
  11. Deuteronomy 7:22 So that it is your commodity that God accomplish not his promise so soon as you would wish.
  12. Deuteronomy 7:25 And be enticed to idolatry.

Driving Out the Nations

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess(A) and drives out before you many nations(B)—the Hittites,(C) Girgashites,(D) Amorites,(E) Canaanites, Perizzites,(F) Hivites(G) and Jebusites,(H) seven nations larger and stronger than you— and when the Lord your God has delivered(I) them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy(J) them totally.[a](K) Make no treaty(L) with them, and show them no mercy.(M) Do not intermarry with them.(N) Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods,(O) and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy(P) you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles[b](Q) and burn their idols in the fire.(R) For you are a people holy(S) to the Lord your God.(T) The Lord your God has chosen(U) you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.(V)

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous(W) than other peoples, for you were the fewest(X) of all peoples.(Y) But it was because the Lord loved(Z) you and kept the oath he swore(AA) to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand(AB) and redeemed(AC) you from the land of slavery,(AD) from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;(AE) he is the faithful God,(AF) keeping his covenant of love(AG) to a thousand generations(AH) of those who love him and keep his commandments.(AI) 10 But

those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
    he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.(AJ)

11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.(AK) 13 He will love you and bless you(AL) and increase your numbers.(AM) He will bless the fruit of your womb,(AN) the crops of your land—your grain, new wine(AO) and olive oil(AP)—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.(AQ) 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.(AR) 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease.(AS) He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt,(AT) but he will inflict them on all who hate you.(AU) 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you.(AV) Do not look on them with pity(AW) and do not serve their gods,(AX) for that will be a snare(AY) to you.

17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?(AZ) 18 But do not be afraid(BA) of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.(BB) 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand(BC) and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.(BD) 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet(BE) among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you,(BF) is a great and awesome God.(BG) 22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.(BH) You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.(BI) 24 He will give their kings(BJ) into your hand,(BK) and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you;(BL) you will destroy them.(BM) 25 The images of their gods you are to burn(BN) in the fire. Do not covet(BO) the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared(BP) by it, for it is detestable(BQ) to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.(BR) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
  2. Deuteronomy 7:5 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Deuteronomy