Deuteronomy 20

1 When thou go forth to battle against thine enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shall not be afraid of them, for Jehovah thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

When thou shalt go out to wage war against thine enemy, and shalt see the horses and chariots of a people more in number than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them, —for, Yahweh thy God, is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2 And it shall be, when ye draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

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

3 and shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, ye draw near this day to battle against your enemies. Let not your heart faint. Fear not, nor tremble, neither be ye frightened at them.

and shall say unto them, —Hear, O Israel, ye are coming near to-day, unto battle against your enemies, —let not your heart faint do not fear nor start nor quake because of them.

4 For Jehovah your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

For Yahweh your God, is he that is going with you, —to fight for you against your enemies to save you.

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

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

6 And what man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used the fruit of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit of it.

And who is the man that hath planted a vineyard and hath not thrown it open? let him go and return unto his house, —lest he die in the battle, and another man, throw it open.

7 And what man is there who has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

And who is the man 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 officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother's heart melt as his heart.

Then shall the officers further speak unto the people, and say—Who is the man that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, —lest his brethren’s heart melt as well as his heart.

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

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

10 When thou draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

When thou shalt come nigh unto a city, to fight against it, —then shalt thou proclaim unto it—peace,

11 And it shall be, if it makes to thee an answer of peace, and opens to thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found in it shall become tributary to thee, and shall serve thee.

and it shall be if peace, be the answer it giveth thee, and it open unto thee, then shall it be, that, all the people that are found therein, shall become thy tributaries and shall serve thee.

12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shall besiege it.

But if it will not make peace with thee, but will make war with thee, then shalt thou lay siege to it;

13 And when Jehovah thy God delivers it into thy hand, thou shall smite every male of it with the edge of the sword,

and Yahweh thy God will deliver it into thy hand, —and thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword;

14 but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil of it, thou shall take for a prey to thyself. And thou shall eat the spoil of thine enemies, which Jehovah thy God has given thee.

but the women and the little ones and the cattle and all that shall be in the city—all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as thy prey, —so shalt thou eat the spoil of thine enemies, whom Yahweh thy God hath delivered unto thee.

15 Thus thou shall 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 that are very far away from thee, —which are not of the cities of those nations.

16 But of the cities of these peoples, that Jehovah thy God gives thee for an inheritance, thou shall save alive nothing that breathes,

But of the cities of these peoples which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee as an inheritance, shalt thou not save alive, any breathing thing.

17 but thou shall utterly destroy them-the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite-as Jehovah thy God has commanded thee,

But thou shalt devote them to destruction—the Hittites and the Amorites the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, —as Yahweh thy God hath commanded thee:

18 that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods, so ye would sin against Jehovah your God.

lest they teach you to do, according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, —and so ye sin against Yahweh your God.

19 When thou shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shall not destroy the trees of it by wielding an axe against them, for thou may eat of them. And thou shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by thee?

When thou shalt besiege a city for many days to fight against it, to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding against them an axe, when of them, thou mightest eat, them, there-fore shalt thou not cut down, —for, Is the tree of the field, a man, that it should enter, because of thee into the siege?

20 Only the trees of which thou know that they are not trees for food, thou shall destroy and cut them down. And thou shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with thee, until it falls.

Nevertheless, the tree of which thou knowest that it is, not a tree yielding food, the same, mayest thou destroy, and cut down, —and so build up a siege-work against the city which is making war with thee, until thou hast subdued it.