Deuteronomy 7

Chapter 7

The Privilege of Holiness

1 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you.2 When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroyt them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy.3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters,4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.5 This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols.

6 For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.
7 “The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!8 Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.9 Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.10 But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him.

11 Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.
12 “If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the LORD your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors.13 He will love you and bless you, and he will give you many children. He will give fertility to your land and your animals. When you arrive in the land he swore to give your ancestors, you will have large harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and great herds of cattle, sheep, and goats.14 You will be blessed above all the nations of the earth. None of your men or women will be childless, and all your livestock will bear young.

15 And the LORD will protect you from all sickness. He will not let you suffer from the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all your enemies!
16 “You must destroy all the nations the LORD your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you.17 Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’18 But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.19 Remember the great terrors the LORD your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The LORD your God will use this same power against all the people you fear.

20 And then the LORD your God will send terrort to drive out the few survivors still hiding from you!
21 “No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the LORD your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God.22 The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you.23 But the LORD your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed.

24 He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them all.
25 “You must burn their idols in fire, and you must not covet the silver or gold that covers them. You must not take it or it will become a trap to you, for it is detestable to the LORD your God.

26 Do not bring any detestable objects into your home, for then you will be destroyed, just like them. You must utterly detest such things, for they are set apart for destruction.

DEUTERONOMY 7

Force the Other Nations //Out of the Land

(Exodus 34.11-16)

Moses said:

1  t People of Israel, the [Lord] your God will help you take the land of the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. These seven nations have more people and are stronger than Israel, but when you attack them, 2 the [Lord] will force them out of the land. Then you must destroy them without mercy. Don't make any peace treaties with them, 3 and don't let your sons and daughters marry any of them.

4 If you do, those people will lead your descendants to worship other gods and to turn their backs on the [Lord]. That will make him very angry, and he will quickly destroy Israel.

5  t So when you conquer these nations, tear down the altars where they worship their gods. Break up their sacred stones, cut down the poles that they use in worshiping the goddess Asherah, and throw their idols in the fire.

The [Lord]'s Chosen People

Moses said:

8 but the [Lord] chose you because he loves you and because he had made a promise to your ancestors. Then with his mighty arm, he rescued you from the king of Egypt, who had made you his slaves.
9  t You know that the [Lord] your God is the only true God. So love him and obey his commands, and he will faithfully keep his agreement with you and your descendants for a thousand generations. 10 But if you turn against the [Lord], he will quickly destroy you.

11 So be sure to obey his laws and teachings I am giving you today.

The [Lord] Will Bless You //if You Obey

(Deuteronomy 28.1-14; Leviticus 26.3-13)

Moses said to Israel:

15 You will no longer suffer with the same horrible diseases that you sometimes had in Egypt. You will be healthy, but the [Lord] will make your enemies suffer from those diseases.

Destroy the Nations //and Their Gods

Moses said to Israel:

16 When the [Lord] helps you defeat your enemies, you must destroy them without pity! And don't get trapped into worshiping their gods.
17 You may be thinking, “How can we destroy these nations? They are more powerful than we are.” 18 But stop worrying! Just remember what the [Lord] your God did to Egypt and its king. 19 You saw how the [Lord] used his tremendous power to work great miracles and bring you out of Egypt. And he will again work miracles for you when you face these enemies you fear so much. 20 Some of them may try to survive by hiding from you, but the [Lord] will make them panic, and soon they will be dead.t

21 So don't be frightened when you meet them in battle. The [Lord] your God is great and fearsome, and he will fight at your side.
22 As you attack these nations, the [Lord] will force them out little by little. He won't let you get rid of them all at once—if he did, there wouldn't be enough people living in the land to keep down the number of wild animals.

23-24 But when you attack your enemies, the [Lord] will make them panic, and you will easily destroy them. You will defeat their kings one after another until they are gone, and no one will remember they ever lived.
25 After you conquer a nation, burn their idols. Don't get trapped into wanting the silver or gold on an idol. Even the metal on an idol is disgusting to the [Lord], 26 so destroy it. If you bring it home with you, both you and your house will be destroyed. Stay away from those disgusting idols!