¹⁶ You are to destroy all the nations the Eternal, your True God, puts in your power. Don’t show them any pity! You must not worship their gods—that behavior is a deadly trap!

¹⁷ You might say to yourselves, “Those nations are so much more powerful than we are! How can we ever displace them in the land?” ¹⁸ But don’t be afraid of them! Remember what the Eternal, your True God, did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt.