But little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you are fruitful. Then you will possess the land.
Exodus 23:29 - Tree of Life Version I will not drive them out from before you in a single year. Otherwise the land would become desolate, and the animals of the field will multiply against you. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate [for lack of attention] and the wild beasts multiply against you. American Standard Version (1901) I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. Common English Bible I won’t drive them out before you in a single year so the land won’t be abandoned and the wild animals won’t multiply around you. Catholic Public Domain Version I will not cast them out from your face in one year, lest the land be reduced to a wilderness and the wild beasts increase against you. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version I will not cast them out from thy face in one year: lest the land be brought into a wilderness, and the beasts multiply against thee. |
But little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you are fruitful. Then you will possess the land.
For I am going to cast out nations before you, then enlarge your territory. So no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times in the year.
Adonai your God will drive away those nations before you little by little—you will not be able to put an end to them all at once, or else the beasts of the field will multiply on you.
As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out. So the Jebusites continue to live among the children of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
But they did not drive out the Canaanites that were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and became forced laborers.