Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’

They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”

“Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.

“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.

“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.

do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’

then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!”

“Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”

The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.

Elisha Traps the Arameans

When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”

He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted.

A trap grabs them by the heel. A snare holds them tight.

That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears.

These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling and lay traps in my path.

O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves.

The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.

The Lord is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude

The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.

My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone.

I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.

So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.