Deuteronomy 7

1 When the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] your God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] brings you into the land [the promised territory, a place of inheritance] that you are entering to possess [to take control of, to occupy], and He drives out before you many [numerous, a large multitude] nations—the Hittites [descendants of Heth], Girgashites [a native tribe of Canaan], Amorites [a Canaanite tribe], Canaanites [inhabitants of the land of Canaan], Perizzites [a Canaanite tribe], Hivites [a tribe in Palestine], and Jebusites [inhabitants of Jebus, the early name for Jerusalem], seven nations larger [more numerous] and stronger [more powerful, mighty] than you— word study 2 and when the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] has delivered [given, put, or set] them over to you to defeat [smite, strike, or hit] them, then you must devote [utterly destroy, set apart for destruction] them to complete destruction [total devastation]. Make no [not, without] treaty [covenant, agreement, or alliance] with them and show them no [not, without] mercy [kindness, favor, or compassion]. word study 3 Do not [under any circumstances] intermarry [make marriages, become related by marriage] with them [the nations, the unbelievers]. Do not give [bestow, offer] your daughters [female children, women] to their sons [male children, descendants] or take [receive, accept] their daughters [female children, women] for your sons [male children, descendants], word study 4 because they will turn [lead away, cause to depart] your sons away from following Me [serving, obeying] to serve [worship, bow down to] other gods [foreign deities, idols]. Then the anger [wrath, fierce indignation] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] will burn [be kindled, ignited] against you, and He will swiftly [quickly, hastily] destroy [annihilate, desolate] you. word study 5 Instead [on the contrary], this is what you are to do to them: tear down [destroy, demolish] their altars [places of sacrifice], smash [break, shatter] their sacred pillars [monuments, memorials], cut down [hew down, fell] their Asherah poles [idolatrous trees], and burn [set on fire, kindle] their idols [carved images, false gods] in the fire [burning, flame]. word study 6 For you are a people [set apart] holy to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme Creator]. The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God has chosen [selected, elected] you to be a people [a nation] for His [possessing, treasured] prized possession [a valuable treasure, a special inheritance] out of all [every, the entire] peoples [nations, groups of people] on the face [presence, surface] of the earth [the land, the world]. word study 7 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] did not set His affection [love, delight] on you and choose [select, elect] you because you were more numerous [abundant, greater in number] than the other peoples [nations, tribes], for you were the fewest [smallest, least] of all peoples [nations, Gentiles]. word study 8 But because the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] loved [with affection, had great fondness for] you and kept [protected, attended to] the oath [a promise, a vow] He swore [made a solemn promise] to your fathers, He brought [led, guided] you out with a mighty [strong, powerful] hand and redeemed [ransomed, set free] you from the house [place, dwelling] of slavery [servitude, bondage], from the hand [power, authority] of Pharaoh [the king of Egypt] king of Egypt. word study 9 Know therefore that the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] is God [the faithful and true deity], the faithful [trustworthy, reliable] God who keeps [protects, guards] His covenant [promise, agreement] of loving devotion [kindness, mercy] for a thousand [a large number, countless] generations [periods of time, ages] of those who love [have affection for, are devoted to] Him and keep [obey, follow] His commandments [laws, instructions]. word study 10 But those who [intensely dislike, feel hostility towards] hate Him He repays [rewarding, bringing retribution] to their faces with destruction [to perish, be lost]; He will not [absolutely not, under no circumstances] hesitate [delay, put off] to repay [give back, recompense] to his face [in his presence, directly] the one who [continues to] hates Him. word study 11 So keep [obey, guard, protect] the commandments [laws, decrees, divine instructions] and statutes [ordinances, regulations, rules] and ordinances [judgments, justice, decisions] that I am giving [commanding, instructing] you to follow [obey, observe] this day [at this present time, today]. word study 12 If you listen [obey, heed] to these ordinances [judgments, regulations] and keep [obey, guard] them carefully [diligently, faithfully], then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] will keep [preserve, protect] His covenant [promise, agreement] and the loving devotion [kindness, mercy] that He swore [promised, vowed] to your fathers [ancestors, forefathers]. word study 13 He will love [have affection for, cherish] you and bless [praise, honor] you and multiply [increase, grow] you. He will bless [praise, honor] the fruit [offspring, produce] of your womb [belly, innermost being] and the produce [crops, harvest] of your land [earth, soil]—your grain [wheat, staple food], new wine [freshly squeezed, fermented], and oil [olive oil], the young [offspring, calves] of your herds [cattle, livestock] and the lambs [flocks, sheep] of your flocks [sheep, goats]—in the land [earth, promised territory] that He swore [made a promise, vowed] to your fathers [ancestors, patriarchs] to give [provide, bestow] you. word study 14 You will be blessed [highly favored, praised] above all peoples [nations, groups of people]; among you there will be no barren [sterile, unable to produce] man or woman [male or female] or livestock [cattle, animals]. word study 15 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will remove [to turn aside, depart] from you all [every, everything] sickness [disease, infirmity]. He will not lay [put, place] upon you any of the terrible [evil, bad] diseases [sickness, afflictions] you knew [were familiar with, experienced] in Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa], but He will inflict [lay, put] them on all [every one] who hate [feel intense dislike, hostility towards] you. word study 16 You must destroy [consume, utterly devour] all the peoples [nations, ethnic groups] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] your God [Elohim, the supreme deity] will deliver [give, hand over] to you. Do not look [gaze, cast your eye] on them with pity [compassion, sympathy]. Do not worship [serve, bow down to] their gods [idols, false deities], for that will be a snare [danger, entrapment] to you. word study 17 You may say [think to yourself, ponder] in your heart [mind, will, and emotions], “These nations [Gentiles, non-Hebrew peoples] are greater [more numerous, stronger] than we are; how [in what way, by what means] can we drive them out [dispossess, take control of their land]?” word study 18 But do not [absolutely not, under no circumstances] be afraid [to fear, revere] of them [the enemies, the adversaries]. Be sure [with confidence, with certainty] to remember [to recall, to mark] what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme one] did [to make, to accomplish] to Pharaoh [the king of Egypt, the ruler] and all [everything, the whole] Egypt [the land, the people]: word study 19 the great [exceeding, extraordinary] trials [temptations, testings] that you saw [with your own eyes, witnessed], the signs [miraculous tokens, wonders] and wonders [marvels, miraculous events], and the mighty [strong, powerful] hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share] and outstretched [stretched out, extended] arm [the arm as stretched out; strength, might, power] by which the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] brought you out [led you out, delivered you]. The LORD [Yehovah] your God [Elohim] will do [make, accomplish] the same [similar, identical] to all [every, the whole of] the peoples [nations, groups of people] you now [currently, at this time] fear [are afraid of, dread]. word study 20 Moreover, the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] will send [dispatch, cause to depart] the hornet [a type of wasp that stings] against them until [as far as, to the point of] even the survivors [those who remain, are left] hiding [concealing themselves, in secret places] from you have perished [been destroyed, lost, cut off]. word study 21 Do not [under no circumstances] be terrified [tremble with fear, dread] by them, for the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one true God], who is among [in the midst of, dwelling with] you, is a great [powerful, majestic] and awesome [fearful, reverenced] God. word study 22 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] will drive out [cast out, root out] these nations [Gentiles, non-Hebrew peoples] before you little by little [by degrees, gradually]. You will not be enabled [have the power, be able] to eliminate them all at once [quickly, hastily], or the wild animals [beasts of the field] would multiply [increase, grow] around you [upon you, in your presence]. word study 23 But the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] will give [to put or set] them over to you and throw [to confuse or disrupt] them into great [of large importance or size] confusion [tumult or chaos, as in Muhumah], until [as far as the point of] they are destroyed [to desolate or annihilate, to be brought to nothing]. word study 24 He will hand [give, deliver] their kings [royal rulers, monarchs] over to you, and you will wipe out [destroy, annihilate] their names [identities, reputations] from under [beneath, underneath] heaven [the sky, the spiritual realm]. No one [not a single person, no man] will be able to stand [resist, withstand] against you; you will annihilate [completely destroy, exterminate] them. word study 25 You must burn up [completely destroy, with fire] the images [idols, carved representations] of their gods; do not covet [desire, lust after] the silver [valuable metal, wealth] and gold [precious treasure] that is on them [upon, attached to] or take it for yourselves [possess, seize], or you will be ensnared [trapped, caught] by it; for it is detestable [an abomination, disgusting] to the LORD [Yehovah, the one true God] your God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler]. word study 26 And you must not bring any [abomination, disgusting thing] detestable thing into your house, or you [in a similar manner], like it, will be set apart [devoted, doomed] for destruction. You are to utterly [completely, totally] detest [loathe, abhor] and abhor [reject, despise] it, because it is set apart [devoted, cursed] for destruction [as a doomed object]. word study