1When Yahweh your God brings you into the land you are going to possess, and he drives out many nations before you—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations larger and more powerful than you,
2and when Yahweh your God hands them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy them. Do not make any agreements with them or show them any mercy.
3Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughter to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.
4The people you mingle with will turn your children away from following me, and they will serve other gods. Then Yahweh's anger will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.
5Instead, you must deal with them in this way: tear down their altars, smash their stone pillars to pieces, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their carved images in the fire.
6Because you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God chose you to be his own special people, more than all the other nations on the face of the earth.
7Yahweh did not set his love on you and choose you because you were more numerous than any other people; in fact, you were the smallest of all peoples.
8But Yahweh brought you out with his mighty power and rescued you from the house of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt, because Yahweh loves you and wanted to keep the oath he swore to your ancestors.
9Understand, therefore, that Yahweh your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps his promise and shows unfailing love to a thousand generations of those who love him and obey his commands.
10But he directly punishes those who hate him and destroys them. He will not delay in repaying those who hate him; he will directly punish them.
11Therefore, you must obey the commands, rules, and regulations that I am giving you today.
12If you listen to these rules, and carefully obey them, then Yahweh your God will keep his agreement with you and show you the unfailing love he promised to your ancestors.
13He will love you, bless you, and make you numerous. He will also bless your children, the produce of your land—your grain, new wine, and olive oil—and the young of your cattle and flocks in the land he promised your ancestors to give you.
14You will be more blessed than any other people. None of your men or women will be unable to have children, nor will your livestock be barren.
15Yahweh will keep you free from all sickness, and he will not let any of the terrible diseases of Egypt, which you know about, come upon you. Instead, he will inflict them on all who hate you.
16You must destroy all the people Yahweh your God hands over to you. Do not feel pity for them, and do not worship their gods, because that would be a trap for you.
17If you say to yourselves, 'These nations are more powerful than I am; how can I drive them out?'
18Do not be afraid of them. Remember clearly what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt—
19the great trials you saw with your own eyes, the signs, the wonders, the mighty power, and the outstretched arm by which Yahweh your God brought you out. Yahweh your God will do the same to all the peoples you are afraid of.
20Moreover, Yahweh your God will send hornets among them until those who are left and hiding from you are destroyed.
21Do not be terrified by them, because Yahweh your God is among you, a great and awe-inspiring God.
22Yahweh your God will drive out those nations before you little by little. You cannot destroy them all at once, or the wild animals would become too numerous for you.
23But Yahweh your God will hand them over to you and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.
24He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe their names from under the sky. No one will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.
25You must burn the carved images of their gods with fire. Do not desire the silver or gold on them, or take it for yourselves, or you will be trapped by it, for it is detestable to Yahweh your God.
26Do not bring anything detestable into your house, or you will become set apart for destruction like it. You must utterly hate it and utterly detest it, because it is set apart for destruction.