Deuteronomy 20
1 “If you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horsemen and chariots, and that the multitude of your adversary’s army is greater than your own, you shall not fear them. For the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, is with you.
| إِذَا ذَهَبْتُمْ لِمُحَارَبَةِ عَدُوِّكُمْ، وَوَجَدْتُمْ أَنَّ عَدُوَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُ مِنْكُمْ عَدَداً وخَيْلاً وَمَرْكَبَاتٍ، فَلا تَخَافُوا مِنْهُ، لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ إِلَهَكُمُ الَّذِي حَرَّرَكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِ مِصْرَ يَقِفُ مَعَكُمْ. | ١ |
2 Then, as the battle now draws near, the priest shall stand before the front ranks, and he shall speak to the people in this manner:
| وَعِنْدَمَا تَكُونُونَ عَلَى وَشْكِ خَوْضِ الْمَعْرَكَةِ يَتَقَدَّمُ الْكَاهِنُ وَيُخَاطِبُ الْجَيْشَ: | ٢ |
3 ‘Listen, O Israel! Today you engage in a battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with fear. Do not be apprehensive. Do not yield. You should have no dread of them.
| اسْمَعْ يَا إِسْرَائِيلُ: أَنْتُمُ الْيَوْمَ مُوشِكُونَ عَلَى مُحَارَبَةِ أَعْدَائِكُمْ، فَلا تَهِنْ قُلُوبُكُمْ، لَا تَخَافُوا مِنْهُمْ وَلا تَرْتَعِدُوا وَلا تَرْهَبُوهُمْ، | ٣ |
4 For the Lord your God is in your midst, and he will contend against your enemies on your behalf, so that he may rescue you from peril.’
| لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ إِلَهَكُمْ سَائِرٌ مَعَكُمْ لِمُحَارَبَةِ أَعْدَائِكُمْ عَنْكُمْ، وَلِيُخَلِّصَكُمْ. | ٤ |
5 Likewise, the officers shall proclaim, throughout every company, in the hearing of the soldiers: ‘What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may dedicate it.
| ثُمَّ يَقُولُ الْقَادَةُ لِلْجَيْشِ: هَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ مَنْ بَنَى بَيْتاً جَدِيداً وَلَمْ يُدَشِّنْهُ بَعْدُ؟ فَلْيَرْجِعْ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ، لِئَلّا يُقْتَلَ فِي الْمَعْرَكَةِ فَيُدَشِّنَهُ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ. | ٥ |
6 What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not yet caused it to be common, so that all may eat from it? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may carry out his office.
| هَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ مَنْ غَرَسَ كَرْماً وَلَمْ يَجْنِ أَوَّلَ ثِمَارِهِ بَعْدُ؟ فَلْيَرْجِعْ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ لِئَلّا يُقْتَلَ فِي الْمَعْرَكَةِ فَيَجْنِيَ أَوَّلَ ثِمَارِ كَرْمِهِ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ. | ٦ |
7 What man is there, who has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in battle, and another man may take her.’
| هَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ رَجُلٌ خَطَبَ امْرَأَةً وَلَمْ يَتَزَوَّجْهَا بَعْدُ؟ لِيَرْجِعْ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ لِئَلّا يُقْتَلَ فِي الْمَعْرَكَةِ فَيَتَزَوَّجَهَا رَجُلٌ آخَرُ. | ٧ |
8 After these things have been declared, they shall add the remainder, and shall say to the people: ‘What man is there who is overwhelmed by fear and is fainthearted? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he cause the hearts of his brothers to fear, just as he himself has been thoroughly stricken with fear.’
| ثُمَّ يَسْتَطْرِدُ قَادَةُ الْجَيْشِ قَائِلِينَ: هَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ رَجُلٌ خَائِفٌ وَاهِنُ الْقَلْبِ؟ لِيَرْجِعْ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ لِئَلّا يَعْتَرِيَ الْخَوْفُ قُلُوبَ إِخْوَتِهِ مِثْلَهُ. | ٨ |
9 And when the officers of the army have become silent, and have completed their speech, each one shall prepare his unit to wage war.
| وَعِنْدَمَا يَفْرُغُ الْقَادَةُ مِنْ مُخَاطَبَةِ الْجَيْشِ، يُعَيِّنُونَ ضُبَّاطاً عَلَى الْجُنُودِ. | ٩ |
10 When, at any time, you approach a city to fight against it, you shall first offer peace to it.
| وَحِينَ تَتَقَدَّمُونَ لِمُحَارَبَةِ مَدِينَةٍ فَادْعُوهَا لِلصُّلْحِ أَوَّلاً. | ١٠ |
11 If they receive it, and open the gates to you, then all the people who are in it shall be saved, and they shall serve you by paying tribute.
| فَإِنْ أَجَابَتْكُمْ إِلَى الصُّلْحِ وَاسْتَسْلَمَتْ لَكُمْ، فَكُلُّ الشَّعْبِ السَّاكِنِ فِيهَا يُصْبِحُ عَبِيداً لَكُمْ. | ١١ |
12 But if they are not willing to enter into an agreement, and they begin to act against you in warfare, then you shall besiege it.
| وَإِنْ أَبَتِ الصُّلْحَ وَحَارَبَتْكُمْ فَحَاصِرُوهَا | ١٢ |
13 And when the Lord your God will have delivered it into your hands, you shall strike down anyone who is in it, of the male gender, with the edge of the sword,
| فَإِذَا أَسْقَطَهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ، فَاقْتُلُوا جَمِيعَ ذُكُورِهَا بِحَدِّ السَّيْفِ. | ١٣ |
14 but not the women and young children, nor the cattle and the other things that are within the city. And you shall divide all the plunder to the soldiers, and you shall eat the spoils from your enemies, which the Lord your God will give to you.
| وَأَمَّا النِّسَاءُ وَالأَطْفَالُ وَالْبَهَائِمُ، وَكُلُّ مَا فِي الْمَدِينَةِ مِنْ أَسْلابٍ، فَاغْنَمُوهَا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ، وَتَمَتَّعُوا بِغَنَائِمِ أَعْدَائِكُمُ الَّتِي وَهَبَهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ. | ١٤ |
15 So shall you do to all the cities which are at a great distance from you, those which are not among the cities that you shall receive as a possession.
| هَكَذَا تَفْعَلُونَ بِكُلِّ الْمُدُنِ النَّائِيَةِ عَنْكُمُ الَّتِي لَيْسَتْ مِنْ مُدُنِ الأُمَمِ الْقَاطِنَةِ هُنَا. | ١٥ |
16 But among those cities which shall be given to you, you shall not permit anyone at all to live.
| أَمَّا مُدُنُ الشُّعُوبِ الَّتِي يَهَبُهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ مِيرَاثاً فَلا تَسْتَبْقُوا فِيهَا نَسَمَةً حَيَّةً، | ١٦ |
17 Instead, you shall put them to death with the edge of the sword, specifically: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite, the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you.
| بَلْ دَمِّرُوهَا عَنْ بِكْرَةِ أَبِيهَا، كَمُدُنِ الْحِثِّيِّينَ وَالأَمُورِيِّينَ وَالْكَنْعَانِيِّينَ وَالْفِرِزِّيِّينَ وَالْحِوِّيِّينَ وَالْيَبُوسِيِّينَ كَمَا أَمَرَكُمُ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ، | ١٧ |
18 Otherwise, they may teach you to do all the abominations which they have committed for their own gods. And then you would sin against the Lord your God.
| لِكَيْ لَا يُعَلِّمُوكُمْ رَجَاسَاتِهِمِ الَّتِي مَارَسُوهَا فِي عِبَادَةِ آلِهَتِهِمْ، فَتَغْوُوا وَرَاءَهُمْ وَتُخْطِئُوا إِلَى الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ. | ١٨ |
19 When you will have besieged a city for a long time, and you will have encircled it with fortifications, so that you may fight against it, you shall not cut down trees from which one is able to eat, neither shall you cause devastation with axes to the surrounding region. For it is a tree, and not a man. It is not able to increase the number of those who are fighting against you.
| وَإذَا حَاصَرْتُمْ مَدِينَةً حِقْبَةً طَوِيلَةً مُعْلِنِينَ الْحَرْبَ عَلَيْهَا لاِفْتِتَاحِهَا، فَلا تَقْطَعُوا أَشْجَارَهَا بِحَدِّ الْفَأْسِ وَتُتْلِفُوهَا لأَنَّكُمْ تَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ ثِمَارِهَا. هَلْ شَجَرَةُ الْحَقْلِ إِنْسَانٌ حَتَّى تَهْرُبَ مِنْ أَمَامِكُمْ فِي الْحِصَارِ؟ | ١٩ |
20 But if there are any trees which are not fruitful, but are wild, and if these are fit for other uses, then cut them down, and make machines, until you have captured the city that is contending against you.”
| أَمَّا الأَشْجَارُ الَّتِي لَا يُؤْكَلُ ثَمَرُهَا فَأَتْلِفُوهَا وَاقْطَعُوهَا، لاِسْتِخْدَامِهَا فِي بِنَاءِ حُصُونٍ حَوْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ الْمُحَاصَرَةِ الْمُتَحَارِبَةِ مَعَكُمْ، إِلَى أَنْ يَتِمَّ سُقُوطُهَا. | ٢٠ |
