The Skeptics Annotated Bible (175 page)

(7.4)
“So will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”

5 But thus shall ye deal with them;
ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

(7.5)
“Ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.”
Destroy the altars, images, and places of worship of those with different religions.

6
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God
:
the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

(7.6a)
“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God.”
113 Is only God holy?

(7.6b)
“The LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
God prefers the Israelites to everyone else. It’s not that he’s prejudiced, he just like them better.

7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:

8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and
keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

(7.9)
“Keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”
56 Are the Old Testament laws still binding?

10 And
repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them
: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

(7.10)
“Repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them.”
God will kill those who hate him.

11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

(7.14-15) God’s favorite people will never be infertile (neither will their cows!) and will never get sick. (God will send infertility and diseases on the other guys.)

14
Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

(7.14)
“Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.”

15
And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness,
and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee;
but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

(7.15)
“The LORD will take away from thee all sickness … but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.”