^2 (A)and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must ^(B)devote them to complete destruction.^{[a] (C)}You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

¹⁵ you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction,^[a] all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. ¹⁶ You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and ^(A)burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a ^(B)heap forever. It shall not be built again. ^17 (C)None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, ^(D)that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, ^(E)as he swore to your fathers,

¹⁶ But ^(A)in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,