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Deuteronomy 9:3-5
New English Translation
Deuteronomy 9:3-5
New English Translation
3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he[a] has told you. 4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness,[b] that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he[c] made on oath to your ancestors,[d] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 9:3 tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 9:5 tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsedaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the Lord’s favor. As he states in both vv. 4-5, the main reason he allowed Israel to take this land was the sinfulness of the Canaanites who lived there (cf. Gen 15:16).
- Deuteronomy 9:5 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
- Deuteronomy 9:5 tn Heb “fathers.”
Deuteronomy 9:3-5
New International Version
Deuteronomy 9:3-5
New International Version
3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you(A) like a devouring fire.(B) He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,(C) as the Lord has promised you.
4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,(D) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness(E) of these nations(F) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity(G) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness(H) of these nations,(I) the Lord your God will drive them out(J) before you, to accomplish what he swore(K) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(L)
New English Translation (NET)
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