They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the <sc>Lordsc> destroyed the Rephaites<n id="1" /> in advance of the Ammonites,<n id="2" /> so they dispossessed them and settled down in their place.

You must not tremble in their presence, for the <sc>Lordsc> your God, who is present among you, is a great and awesome God.

He will infect you with all the diseases of Egypt<n id="1" /> that you dreaded, and they will persistently afflict you.<n id="2" />

But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors<n id="1" /> and worshiped instead<n id="2" /> the gods of the native peoples<n id="3" /> whom God had destroyed before them.

So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard to protect against them<n id="1" /> both day and night.

<p class="poetry">He drove the nations out from before them;p> <p class="poetry">he assigned them their tribal allotments<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">the one who made his majestic power available to Moses,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">who divided the water before them,p> <p class="poetry">gaining for himself a lasting reputation,<n id="2" />p>

Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you,<n id="1" /> for I will be with you to protect<n id="2" /> you,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.

<p class="poetry">But the more I summoned<n id="1" /> them,p> <p class="poetry">the farther they departed from me.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They sacrificed to the Baal idolsp> <p class="poetry">and burned incense to images.p>

So God said<n id="1" /> to Noah, &#8220;I have decided that all living creatures must die,<n id="2" /> for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy<n id="3" /> them and the earth.

<p class="bodytext">The angel of God, who was going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them, and the pillar<n id="1" /> of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.

This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and settle in their area to this very day.

Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the <sc>Lordsc> your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!&#8221;

So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.

When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites<n id="1" /> thoroughly defeated<n id="2" /> Moab.

They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the <sc>Lordsc> had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the <sc>Lordsc> angry.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But you, Jeremiah,<n id="1" /> get yourself ready!<n id="2" /> Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them.<n id="3" />

I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his Babylonian<n id="1" /> soldiers.

But I will rescue you when it happens.<n id="1" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!<n id="2" /> You will not be handed over to those whom you fear.<n id="3" />

I have made your forehead harder than flint &#8211; like diamond!<n id="1" /> Do not fear them or be terrified of the looks they give you,<n id="2" /> for they are a rebellious house.&#8221;p>