Deuteronomy 7:16-26

New International Reader's Version

¹⁶ You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Don’t feel sorry for them. Don’t serve their gods. If you do, they will be a trap for you.

¹⁷ You might say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” ¹⁸ But don’t be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians. ¹⁹ With your own eyes you saw what the Lord did to them. You saw the signs and amazing things he did. He reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm. The Lord your God used all those things to bring you out. You are now afraid of the nations that are in the land the Lord promised you. But the Lord your God will do to them the same things he did to Egypt. ²⁰ The Lord your God will also send hornets among those nations. Some of the people left alive will hide from you. But even they will die. ²¹ So don’t be terrified by them. The Lord your God is with you. He is a great and wonderful God. ²² The Lord your God will drive out those nations to make room for you. But he will do it little by little. You won’t be allowed to get rid of them all at once. If you did, wild animals would multiply all around you. ²³ But the Lord your God will hand those nations over to you. He will throw them into a panic until they are destroyed. ²⁴ He will hand their kings over to you. You will wipe out their names from the earth. No one will be able to stand up against you. You will destroy them. ²⁵ Burn the statues of their gods in the fire. Don’t wish for the silver and gold on those statues. Don’t take it for yourselves. If you do, it will be a trap for you. The Lord your God hates it. ²⁶ Don’t bring anything he hates into your house. If you do, you will be completely destroyed along with it. So hate it with all your heart. It is set apart to be destroyed.