31 And (A)I will set your [a]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the [b]River. For I will (B)deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 (C)You shall make no [c]covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, (D)it will surely be a snare to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:31 boundaries
  2. Exodus 23:31 Heb. Nahar, the Euphrates
  3. Exodus 23:32 treaty

31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[a] to the Mediterranean Sea,[b] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(A) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(B) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(C) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(D) to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines

(A)So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then (B)I will utterly destroy their cities.”

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Then Israel made this vow(A) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a](B) their cities.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.

And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called [a]Hormah.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:3 Lit. Utter Destruction

The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(A) over to them. They completely destroyed them(B) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[a](C)

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.

A Chosen People(A)

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to (B)possess, and has cast out many (C)nations before you, (D)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 you, and when the Lord your God delivers (E)them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. (F)You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. (G)Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; (H)so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. But thus you shall deal with them: you shall (I)destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their [a]wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:5 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities

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)

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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

14 And all the (A)spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing.

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14 The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed.(A)

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