Deuteronomy 20

1 'When thou goest out to battle against thine enemy, and hast seen horse and chariot — a people more numerous than thou — thou art not afraid of them, for Jehovah thy God [is] with thee, who is bringing thee up out of the land of Egypt;

When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2 and it hath been, in your drawing near unto the battle, that the priest hath come nigh, and spoken unto the people,

And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

3 and said unto them, Hear, Israel, ye are drawing near to-day to battle against your enemies, let not your hearts be tender, fear not, nor make haste, nor be terrified at their presence,

and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; fear not, nor tremble, neither be ye affrighted at them;

4 for Jehovah your God [is] He who is going with you, to fight for you with your enemies — to save you.

for the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

5 'And the authorities have spoken unto the people, saying, Who [is] the man that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? — let him go and turn back to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man dedicate it.

And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

6 'And who [is] the man that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not made it common? — let him go and turn back to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man make it common.

And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof.

7 'And who [is] the man that hath betrothed a woman, and hath not taken her? — let him go and turn back to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man take her.

And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

8 'And the authorities have added to speak unto the people, and said, Who [is] the man that is afraid and tender of heart? — let him go and turn back to his house, and the heart of his brethren doth not melt like his heart;

And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart melt as his heart.

9 and it hath come to pass as the authorities finish to speak unto the people, that they have appointed princes of the hosts at the head of the people.

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

10 'When thou drawest near unto a city to fight against it, then thou hast called unto it for Peace,

When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.

11 and it hath been, if Peace it answer thee, and hath opened to thee, then it hath come to pass — all the people who are found in it are to thee for tributaries, and have served thee.

And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee.

12 'And if it doth not make peace with thee, and hath made with thee war, then thou hast laid siege against it,

And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

13 and Jehovah thy God hath given it into thy hand, and thou hast smitten every male of it by the mouth of the sword.

and when the LORD thy God delivereth it into thine hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

14 Only, the women, and the infants, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, thou dost seize for thyself, and thou hast eaten the spoil of thine enemies which Jehovah thy God hath given to thee.

but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take for a prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

15 So thou dost do to all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

16 'Only, of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee [for] an inheritance, thou dost not keep alive any breathing;

But of the cities of these peoples, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

17 for thou dost certainly devote the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee,

but thou shalt utterly destroy them; the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

18 so that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations which they have done to their gods, and ye have sinned against Jehovah your God.

that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

19 'When thou layest siege unto a city many days, to fight against it, to capture it, thou dost not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for of them thou dost eat, and them thou dost not cut down — for man's [is] the tree of the field — to go in at thy presence in the siege.

When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?

20 Only, the tree, which thou knowest that it [is] not a fruit-tree, it thou dost destroy, and hast cut down, and hast built a bulwark against the city which is making with thee war till thou hast subdued it.

Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it fall.