Deuteronomy 20

1 “When you go out to battle against your enemy, and have seen horse and chariot—a people more numerous than you—you are not afraid of them, for your God YHWH [is] with you, who is bringing you up out of the land of Egypt;

Naar du uddrager til Krig imod din Fjende, og du ser Heste og Vogne, ja Folk, flere end du, da skal du ikke frygte for dem; thi Herren din Gud er med dig, han, som førte dig op af Ægyptens Land.

2 and it has been, in your drawing near to the battle, that the priest has come near, and spoken to the people,

Og det skal ske, naar I nærme eder Striden, da skal Præsten gaa frem og tale til Folket.

3 and said to them, Hear, O Israel: You are drawing near today to battle against your enemies, do not let your hearts be tender, do not fear, nor make haste, nor be terrified at their presence,

Og han skal sige til dem: Hør, Israel! I nærme eder i Dag til Striden imod eders Fjender, lader eders Hjerte ikke blive modløst, frygter ikke og forfærdes ikke og gruer ikke for deres Ansigt!

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

Thi Herren eders Gud er den, som gaar med eder, at stride for eder imod eders Fjender for at frelse eder.

5 And the authorities have spoken to the people, saying, Who [is] the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man dedicate it.

Men Fogederne skulle tale til Folket og sige: Er der en Mand, som har bygget et nyt Hus og ikke indviet det, han gaa hen og vende tilbage til sit Hus, at han ikke skal dø i Krigen, og en anden Mand skal indvie det.

6 And who [is] the man that has planted a vineyard and has not made it common? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man make it common.

Og er der en Mand, som har plantet en Vingaard og ikke nydt Frugten af den, han gaa hen og vende tilbage til sit Hus, at han ikke skal dø i Krigen, og en anden Mand skal nyde den første Frugt af den.

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

Og er der en Mand, som har trolovet sig en Hustru og ikke har taget hende til Ægte, han gaa hen og vende tilbage til sit Hus, at han ikke skal dø i Krigen, og en anden Mand skal tage hende.

8 And the authorities have added to speak to the people and said, Who [is] the man that is afraid and tender of heart? Let him go and return to his house, and the heart of his brothers does not melt like his heart.

Og Fogederne skulle blive ved at tale til Folket og sige: Er der en Mand, som er frygtagtig og blødhjertet, han gaa hen og vende tilbage til sit Hus, at han ikke skal gøre sine Brødres Hjerte mistrøstigt, som hans eget Hjerte er.

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

Og det skal ske, naar Fogederne have endt at tale til Folket, da skulle de beskikke Hærførere i Spidsen for Folket.

10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you have called to it for peace,

Naar du nærmer dig til en Stad til at stride imod den, da skal du tilbyde den Fred.

11 and it has been, if it answers you [with] peace, and has opened to you, then it has come to pass, all the people who are found in it are for tributaries to you, and have served you.

Og det skal ske, om den svarer dig fredelig og lader op for dig, da skal alt det Folk, som findes i den, være dig skatskyldigt og tjene dig.

12 And if it does not make peace with you, and has made war with you, then you have laid siege against it,

Men dersom den ikke vil gøre Fred med dig, men føre Krig imod dig, da skal du belejre den.

13 and your God YHWH has given it into your hand, and you have struck every male of it by the mouth of the sword.

Og Herren din Gud skal give den i din Haand, og du skal slaa alt Mandkøn i den med skarpe Sværd.

14 Only, the women, and the infants, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you seize for yourself, and you have eaten the spoil of your enemies which your God YHWH has given to you.

Kun Kvinderne og de smaa Børn og Kvæget og alt det, som er i Staden, alt Byttet deraf maa du røve for dig, og du skal nyde dine Fjenders Bytte, som Herren din Gud har givet dig.

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

Saaledes skal du gøre mod alle Stæderne, som ere saare langt fra dig, og som ikke ere af disse Hedningers Stæder.

16 Only, of the cities of these peoples which your God YHWH is giving to you [for] an inheritance, you do not keep alive any [that are] breathing;

Kun i disse Folks Stæder, som Herren din Gud giver dig til Arv, skal du ikke lade leve noget, som drager Aande.

17 for you certainly devote the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as your God YHWH has commanded you,

Thi du skal bandlyse dem, nemlig Hethiterne og Amoriterne, Kananiterne og Feresiterne, Heviterne og Jebusiterne, som Herren din Gud har budet dig,

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

paa det at de ikke skulle lære eder at gøre efter alle deres Vederstyggeligheder, som de have gjort for deres Guder, og I skulle synde mod Herren eders Gud.

19 When you lay siege to a city [for] many days to fight against it, to capture it, you do not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for you eat of them, and you do not cut them down—for the tree of the field [is] man’s—to go in at your presence in the siege.

Naar du belejrer en Stad mange Dage og strider imod den for at indtage den, da skal du ikke ødelægge dens Træer ved at hugge ned paa dem med Øksen, thi du skal æde af dem og ikke afhugge dem; thi mon Markens Træer ere Mennesker, som af dig skulle belejres?

20 Only, the tree of which you know that it [is] not a fruit-tree, you destroy it, and have cut [it] down, and have built a bulwark against the city which is making war with you until you have subdued it.”

Kun de Træer, som du ved om, at det ikke er Frugttræer, dem maa du ødelægge og afhugge, at du kan bygge Bolværk imod Staden, som fører Krig imod dig, indtil den falder.