Deuteronomy 20
1 When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
| כִּֽי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ וְֽרָאִיתָ סוּס וָרֶכֶב עַם רַב מִמְּךָ לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם כִּֽי־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ עִמָּךְ הַמַּֽעַלְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ |
2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,
| וְהָיָה כְּקָֽרָבְכֶם אֶל־הַמִּלְחָמָה וְנִגַּשׁ הַכֹּהֵן וְדִבֶּר אֶל־הָעָֽם׃ |
3 saying to them, “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because of them.
| וְאָמַר אֲלֵהֶם שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתֶּם קְרֵבִים הַיּוֹם לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֵיכֶם אַל־יֵרַךְ לְבַבְכֶם אַל־תִּֽירְאוּ וְאַֽל־תַּחְפְּזוּ וְאַל־תּֽ͏ַעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶֽם׃ |
4 For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
| כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם־אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶֽם׃ |
5 Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.
| וְדִבְּרוּ הַשֹּֽׁטְרִים אֶל־הָעָם לֵאמֹר מִֽי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַֽיִת־חָדָשׁ וְלֹא חֲנָכוֹ יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ פֶּן־יָמוּת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְאִישׁ אַחֵר יַחְנְכֶֽנּוּ׃ |
6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
| וּמִֽי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נָטַע כֶּרֶם וְלֹא חִלְּלוֹ יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ פֶּן־יָמוּת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְאִישׁ אַחֵר יְחַלְּלֶֽנּוּ׃ |
7 Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man marry her.”
| וּמִֽי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־אֵרַשׂ אִשָּׁה וְלֹא לְקָחָהּ יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ פֶּן־יָמוּת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְאִישׁ אַחֵר יִקָּחֶֽנָּה׃ |
8 Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own.”
| וְיָסְפוּ הַשֹּׁטְרִים לְדַבֵּר אֶל־הָעָם וְאָמְרוּ מִי־הָאִישׁ הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ וְלֹא יִמַּס אֶת־לְבַב אֶחָיו כִּלְבָבֽוֹ׃ |
9 When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.
| וְהָיָה כְּכַלֹּת הַשֹּׁטְרִים לְדַבֵּר אֶל־הָעָם וּפָקְדוּ שָׂרֵי צְבָאוֹת בְּרֹאשׁ הָעָֽם׃ |
10 When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.
| כִּֽי־תִקְרַב אֶל־עִיר לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ וְקָרָאתָ אֵלֶיהָ לְשָׁלֽוֹם׃ |
11 If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.
| וְהָיָה אִם־שָׁלוֹם תַּֽעַנְךָ וּפָתְחָה לָךְ וְהָיָה כָּל־הָעָם הַנִּמְצָא־בָהּ יִהְיוּ לְךָ לָמַס וַעֲבָדֽוּךָ׃ |
12 But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.
| וְאִם־לֹא תַשְׁלִים עִמָּךְ וְעָשְׂתָה עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמָה וְצַרְתָּ עָלֶֽיהָ׃ |
13 When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword.
| וּנְתָנָהּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְהִכִּיתָ אֶת־כָּל־זְכוּרָהּ לְפִי־חָֽרֶב׃ |
14 But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you.
| רַק הַנָּשִׁים וְהַטַּף וְהַבְּהֵמָה וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בָעִיר כָּל־שְׁלָלָהּ תָּבֹז לָךְ וְאָֽכַלְתָּ אֶת־שְׁלַל אֹיְבֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לָֽךְ׃ |
15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
| כֵּן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכָל־הֶעָרִים הָרְחֹקֹת מִמְּךָ מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־מֵעָרֵי הַגּֽוֹיִם־הָאֵלֶּה הֵֽנָּה׃ |
16 However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
| רַק מֵעָרֵי הָֽעַמִּים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה לֹא תְחַיֶּה כָּל־נְשָׁמָֽה׃ |
17 For you must devote them to complete destruction —the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,
| כִּֽי־הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִימֵם הַחִתִּי וְהָאֱמֹרִי הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי הַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ |
18 so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
| לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־יְלַמְּדוּ אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל תּֽוֹעֲבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶם וַחֲטָאתֶם לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ |
19 When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?
| כִּֽי־תָצוּר אֶל־עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְֽהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִית אֶת־עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת כִּי הֽ͏ָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃ |
20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.
| רַק עֵץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַע כִּֽי־לֹא־עֵץ מַאֲכָל הוּא אֹתוֹ תַשְׁחִית וְכָרָתָּ וּבָנִיתָ מָצוֹר עַל־הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־הִוא עֹשָׂה עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמָה עַד רִדְתָּֽהּ׃ |
