Deuteronomy 20
1 When you go out to war against other nations, and come face to face with horses and war-carriages and armies greater in number than yourselves, have no fear of them: for the Lord your God is with you, who took you up out of the land of Egypt.
Cuando saliendo a la guerra contra tus enemigos vieres caballos y carros y gente más numerosa que tú, no los temas; porque Yahvé, tu Dios, el que te sacó del país de Egipto, está contigo.
2 And when you are on the point of attacking, let the priest come forward and say to the people,
Cuando os dispongáis al combate, se acercará el sacerdote y hablará al pueblo,
3 Give ear, O Israel: today you are going forward to the fight; let your heart be strong; do not let uncontrolled fear overcome you because of those who are against you;
y le dirá: ‘Escucha Israel: os dispondréis hoy para pelear contra vuestros enemigos; no desmaye vuestro corazón; no temáis, no os asustéis, ni os amedrentéis ante ellos;
4 For the Lord your God goes with you, fighting for you to give you salvation from those who are against you.
pues Yahvé, vuestro Dios, marcha con vosotros para pelear por vosotros contra vuestros enemigos para salvaros.’
5 And let the overseers say to the people, If there is any man who has made for himself a new house and has not gone into it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not take his house for himself.
Los capitanes hablarán al pueblo, diciendo: ‘¿Quién ha edificado una casa nueva y no la ha estrenado? Váyase y vuelva a su casa, no sea que muera en la batalla y otro hombre la estrene.
6 Or if any man has made a vine-garden without taking the first-fruits of it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not be the first to make use of the fruit.
¿Quién ha plantado una viña y no ha comenzado aún a disfrutarla? Váyase y vuelva a su casa, no sea que muera en la batalla y otro hombre goce de ella.
7 Or if any man is newly married and has had no sex relations with his wife, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another man may not take her.
¿Quién se ha desposado con una mujer, y aún no la ha tomado? Váyase y vuelva a su casa, no sea que muera en la batalla y otro hombre se case con ella.’
8 And let the overseers go on to say to the people, If there is any man whose heart is feeble with fear, let him go back to his house before he makes the hearts of his countrymen feeble.
Los capitanes se dirigirán de nuevo al pueblo y dirán: ‘¿Quién tiene miedo y es tímido de corazón? Váyase y vuelva a su casa, no sea que el corazón de sus hermanos desfallezca así como el corazón suyo.’
9 Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.
Y cuando los capitanes hayan acabado de hablar al pueblo, los jefes de las tropas se pondrán al frente del pueblo.
10 When you come to a town, before attacking it, make an offer of peace.
En el caso de acercarte a una ciudad para atacarla le ofrecerás la paz.
11 And if it gives you back an answer of peace, opening its doors to you, then all the people in it may be put to forced work as your servants.
Si la acepta, y te abre, toda la gente que se hallare dentro será tributaria tuya y te servirá.
12 If however it will not make peace with you, but war, then let it be shut in on all sides:
Mas si no hace paz contigo, y empieza a hacerte guerra, la sitiarás;
13 And when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, let every male in it be put to death without mercy.
y cuando Yahvé tu Dios, la entregare en tu mano pasarás a cuchillo a todos sus varones;
14 But the women and the children and the cattle and everything in the town and all its wealth, you may take for yourselves: the wealth of your haters, which the Lord your God has given you, will be your food.
pero las mujeres, los niños y los ganados, con todo lo que se halle dentro de la ciudad, todo su botín lo tomarás para ti, y comerás de los despojos de tus enemigos, que Yahvé, tu Dios, ha entregado en tus manos.
15 So you are to do to all the towns far away, which are not the towns of these nations.
Así harás con todas las ciudades muy distantes de ti y que no sean de las ciudades de estos pueblos.
16 But in the towns of these peoples whose land the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, let no living thing be kept from death:
Pero en cuanto a las ciudades de estos pueblos que Yahvé, tu Dios, te da por herencia, no dejarás con vida alma alguna,
17 Give them up to the curse; the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has given you orders:
sino que entregarás al anatema a los heteos, amorreos, cananeos, fereceos, heveos y jebuseos, como Yahvé, tu Dios, te lo ha mandado,
18 So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning against the Lord your God.
a fin de que no os enseñen a imitar todas las abominaciones que ellos practican con sus dioses, y para que no pequéis contra Yahvé, Dios vuestro.
19 If in war a town is shut in by your armies for a long time, do not let its trees be cut down and made waste; for their fruit will be your food; are the trees of the countryside men for you to take up arms against them?
Cuando sitiares una ciudad por mucho tiempo, peleando contra ella para conquistarla, no destruirás sus árboles, alzando contra ellos el hacha; porque de ellos podrás comer; no los cortarás. ¿Acaso son hombres los árboles del campo y necesitan ser sitiados?
20 Only those trees which you are certain are not used for food may be cut down and put to destruction: and you are to make walls of attack against the town till it is taken.
Solamente los árboles que tú sabes que no son frutales, podrás destruir cortándolos para construir fortificaciones contra la ciudad que te hace guerra hasta que se rinda.
