Exodus 34:15

King James Version

Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Don't make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;

Lexham English Bible
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they prostitute themselves after their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods, and they invite you, and you eat their sacrifice,

New Century Version
"Be careful that you don't make an agreement with the people who live in that land. When they worship their gods, they will invite you to join them. Then you will eat their sacrifices.

New English Translation
Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, you will eat from his sacrifice;

Amplified Bible
otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the prostitute with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat his sacrifice (meal),

New American Standard Bible
otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Lest thou make a compact with the inhabitantes of the lande, and when they goe a whoring after their gods, and doe sacrifice vnto their gods, some man call thee, & thou eate of his sacrifice:

Legacy Standard Bible
lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

Contemporary English Version
Don't make treaties with the people there, or you will soon find yourselves worshiping their gods and taking part in their sacrificial meals.

Complete Jewish Bible
Do not make a covenant with the people living in the land. It will cause you to go astray after their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Then they will invite you to join them in eating their sacrifices,

Darby Translation
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and then, when they go a whoring after their gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, thou be invited, and eat of their sacrifice,

Easy-to-Read Version
"Be careful not to make any agreements with the people who live in that land. If you do this, you might join them when they worship their gods. They will invite you to join them, and you will eat their sacrifices.

English Standard Version
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, so that the people may not go astray after their idols and sacrifice to their gods, and they shall invite you, and you shall eat of their sacrifices;

Good News Translation
Do not make any treaties with the people of the country, because when they worship their pagan gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you to join them, and you will be tempted to eat the food they offer to their gods.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, or else when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.

Literal Translation
that you not cut a covenant with the people of the land, and they fornicate with their gods, and they call to you, and you eat from his sacrifice;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
lest (yf thou make any agrement with the indwellers of the londe, and whan they go a whoringe after their goddes, and do sacrifice vnto their goddes) they call ye, and thou eate of their sacrifice,

American Standard Version
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot after their gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice;

Bible in Basic English
So see that you make no agreement with the people of the land, and do not go after their gods, or take part in their offerings, or be guests at their feasts,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Lest if thou make any agreement with the inhabitours of the lande, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice vnto their gods: they call thee, and thou eate of theyr sacrifice.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go astray after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and they call thee, and thou eat of their sacrifice;

King James Version (1611)
Lest thou make a couenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they goe a whoring after their gods, and doe sacrifice vnto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eate of his sacrifice,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
lest at any time thou make a covenant with the dwellers on the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and they call thee, and thou shouldest eat of their feasts,

English Revised Version
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice;

Berean Standard Bible
Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
make thou not couenaunt with the men of tho cuntreis, lest whanne thei han do fornycacioun with her goddis, and han worschipid the symylacris of hem, ony man clepe thee, that thou ete of thingis offrid to an ydol.

Young's Literal Translation
`Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, and they have gone a-whoring after their gods, and have sacrificed to their gods, and [one] hath called to thee, and thou hast eaten of his sacrifice,

Update Bible Version
Or else, if you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, who prostitute after their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will call you. And you will eat of their sacrifice.

Webster's Bible Translation
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go astray after their gods, and do sacrifice to their gods, and [one] call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

World English Bible
Don't make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;

New King James Version
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice,

New Living Translation
"You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them.

New Life Bible
So do not make an agreement with the people of the land. Or when they follow their desire with their gods and give gifts to their gods, they would ask you to eat of their gift used in worship.

New Revised Standard
You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you, and you will eat of the sacrifice.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lest thou solemnise a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, - And then as surely as they go unchastely after their gods and sacrifice to their gods, So surely will he invite thee, And thou wilt eat of his sacrifice;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Make no covenant with the men of those countries; lest, when they have committed fornication with their gods, and have adored their idols, some one call thee to eat of the things sacrificed.

Revised Standard Version
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they play the harlot after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and one invites you, you eat of his sacrifice,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord : for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. ¹¹ Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ¹² Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: ¹³ But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: ¹⁴ For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord , whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: ¹⁵ Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; ¹⁶ And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. ¹⁷ Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

make: Exodus 34:10, Exodus 34:12, Exodus 23:32, Deuteronomy 7:2

whoring: Leviticus 17:7, Leviticus 20:5, Leviticus 20:6, Numbers 15:39, Deuteronomy 31:16, Judges 2:17, Psalms 73:27, Jeremiah 3:9, Ezra 6:9, Hosea 4:12, Hosea 9:1, Revelation 17:1-5

call thee: Numbers 25:2, 1 Corinthians 10:27

eat: Psalms 106:28, 1 Corinthians 8:4, 1 Corinthians 8:7, 1 Corinthians 8:10, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 1 Corinthians 10:21, Revelation 2:20

Reciprocal: Genesis 28:1 - Thou shalt Deuteronomy 7:3 - General Joshua 24:15 - or the gods Judges 8:33 - went 1 Chronicles 5:25 - a whoring 2 Chronicles 21:13 - a whoring Psalms 106:36 - And Ezekiel 18:6 - not Hosea 1:2 - for Acts 15:20 - from pollutions

Cross-References

Galatians 4:12
Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land,.... A marriage covenant, taking their daughters in marriage to their sons, and "vice versa", as the following words show; here the caution is to be understood and the words supplied from Exodus 34:12 and inserted and connected thus, "take heed to thyself, lest thou make", c.

and they go a whoring after their gods that is, the inhabitants of the land, and particularly those with whom the Israelites made a covenant, and entered into a marriage relation with, and perhaps on this condition, that they would abstain from idolatry; and yet, contrary to the obligation they laid themselves under, lust after their idols, and commit spiritual fornication or adultery with them, which is explained by the next clause:

and do sacrifice unto their gods; such as the first institutors of their idolatry enjoined, and their ancestors had observed, and were according to the rites and customs of the country:

and [one] call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; invite to eat of what remained, that was offered to the idol: hence it appears, that having feasts at sacrifices, and eating things offered to idols in a festival way, are very ancient practices; see 1 Corinthians 10:27.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The precepts contained in these verses are, for the most part, identical in substance with some of those which follow the Ten Commandments and are recorded in “the Book of the covenant” (Exo. 20–23; see Exodus 24:7).

Exodus 34:13

Cut down their groves - This is the first reference to what is commonly known as grove-worship. The original word for “grove” in this connection אשׁרה 'ăshêrāh is different from that so rendered in Genesis 21:33. Our translators supposed that what the law commands is the destruction of groves dedicated to the worship of false deities Judges 6:25; 2 Kings 18:4; but inasmuch as the worship of asherah is found associated with that of Astarte, or Ashtoreth Judges 2:13; Jdg 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4, it seems probable that while Astarte was the personal name of the goddess, the asherah was a symbol of her, probably in some one of her characters, made in wood in some conventional form.

Exodus 34:15-16

An expansion of Exodus 34:12. The unfaithfulness of the nation to its covenant with Yahweh is here for the first time spoken of as a breach of the marriage bond. The metaphor is, in any case, a natural one, but it seems to gain point, if we suppose it to convey an allusion to the abominations connected with pagan worship, such as are spoken of in Numbers 25:1-3.

Exodus 34:21

See Exodus 20:9; Exodus 23:12. There is here added to the commandment a particular caution respecting those times of year when the land calls for most labor. The old verb “to ear” (i. e. to plow) is genuine English.

Exodus 34:24

Neither shall any man desire etc. - Intended to encourage such as might fear the consequences of obeying the divine law in attending to their religious duties. Compare Proverbs 16:7.