Joshua 23:6-13

6Be very strong! Carefully obey all that is written in the law scroll of Moses so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left,

7or associate with these nations that remain near you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! You must not worship or bow down to them!

8But you must be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this very day.

9“The Lord drove out from before you great and mighty nations; no one has been able to resist you to this very day.

10One of you makes a thousand run away, for the Lord your God fights for you as he promised you he would.

11Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God!

12But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them,

13know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God gave you.