Deuteronomy 20
1 “When your [soldiers] go to fight your enemies, and you see that they have many horses and chariots and that their army is much bigger than yours, do not be afraid of them, because Yahweh our God, who brought your [ancestors safely] out of Egypt, will be with you.
Sɛ mokɔ ɔko de tia mo atamfoɔ na mohunu apɔnkɔ ne nteaseɛnam ne akodɔm a wɔdɔɔso sen mo a, monnsuro wɔn. Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, a ɔyii mo firii Misraim no bɛka mo ho.
2 When you are ready to start the battle, the Supreme Priest must stand in front of the troops.
Sɛ morebɛkɔ ɔko a, ɔsɔfoɔ no bɛba abɛkasa akyerɛ akodɔm no.
3 He must say to them, ‘You Israeli men, listen to me! Today you are going to fight against your enemies. Do not be timid or afraid [DOU] or tremble or panic [DOU],
Ɔbɛka sɛ, “Montie me, mo Israel mmarima! Ɛnnɛ, morekɔ ɔsa yi, mommma mo akoma ntu! Mommma mo abasa mu mmu, na momma mo ho mpopo.
4 because Yahweh our God will go with you. He will fight your enemies for you, and he will enable you to defeat them.’
Na Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, na ɔne mo rekɔ. Ɔbɛko atia mo atamfoɔ no ama mo, na moadi nkonim.”
5 Then the army officers must say to the troops, ‘If anyone among you has just built a new house [RHQ] and has not dedicated it [to God], he should go home [and dedicate the house]. If he does not do that, if he dies in the battle, someone else will dedicate the house [and live in it].
Akodɔm mpanimfoɔ no bɛbisa akodɔm no sɛ, “Mo mu bi asi ɛdan foforɔ a ɔntenaa mu da? Sɛ obi wɔ ha saa a, ɔnsane nkɔ! Ebia na wɔakum no wɔ ɔko no mu na ama obi akɔtena mu!
6 If anyone among you has planted a vineyard and has not yet harvested any grapes from it [RHQ], he should go home. If he [stays here and] dies in the battle, someone else will [harvest the grapes and] enjoy [the wine made from them].
Obi wɔ ha a wadɔ bobefuo na ɔnnii mu aba da? Sɛ obi wɔ ha saa a, ɔnsane nkɔ! Ebia na wɔakum no wɔ ɔko no mu, na ama obi akɔdi mu aba.
7 If anyone among you has become engaged to marry a woman [but has not married her yet] [RHQ], he should go home. If [he stays here and] dies in the battle, someone else will marry her.’
Obi wɔ ha a wagye ɔbaa bi awadeɛ? Sɛ obi wɔ ha saa a, ɔnsane nkɔ! Ebia na wɔakum no wɔ ɔko no mu, na ama obi akɔware ne siyere no.”
8 “Then the officers must also say, ‘If anyone among you is afraid or timid [RHQ], he should go home, in order that he does not cause his fellow soldiers to also stop being courageous.’
Afei, mpanimfoɔ bɛkɔ so abisa sɛ, “Mo mu bi suro anaa nʼakoma atu? Ɛnneɛ, ɔnkɔ fie sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, ne nuammarima nso akoma ntu.”
9 And when the officers have finished speaking to the troops, they must appoint commanders [to lead the groups of soldiers].
Sɛ mpanimfoɔ no wie akodɔm no kasakyerɛ a, afei wɔbɛpa asahene asisi wɔn ano.
10 “When you come near a city [that is far away] to attack it, first tell the people there that if they surrender, you will not attack them.
Sɛ mobɛn kuro biara a morekɔto ahyɛ wɔn so no ano a, deɛ ɛdi ɛkan no, monkyerɛ nnipa no asomdwoeɛ nhyehyɛeɛ a mowɔ ma wɔn.
11 If they open the gates of the city and surrender, they all will become your slaves to work for you.
Sɛ wɔpene mo nhyehyɛeɛ no so na wɔbue wɔn apono ma mo a, nnipa a wɔwɔ mu no nyinaa, mobɛhyɛ wɔn ama wɔasom mo.
12 But if they refuse to [surrender] peacefully, and decide instead to fight against you, your troops must surround the city [and break through the walls].
Na sɛ wɔampene asomdwoeɛ nhyehyɛeɛ no so na sɛ wɔse wɔne mo bɛko a, ɛnneɛ, monto nhyɛ kuro no so.
13 Then, when Yahweh our God enables you to capture [IDM] the city, you must kill all the men in the city.
Sɛ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, dane kuro no hyɛ mo nsa a, monkum kuro no mu mmarima nyinaa.
14 But you are allowed to take for yourselves the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else [that you want to take] from the city. You will be allowed to enjoy all the things that belonged to your enemies; it is Yahweh our God who has given those things to you.
Nanso, ɛyɛ a momfa kuro no mu mmaa, mmɔfra, nyɛmmoa ne asadeɛ a aka nyinaa sɛ agyapadeɛ. Momfa asadeɛ no nyinaa a Awurade de ama mo no.
15 You should do that in all the cities that are far from the land in which you will settle.
Saa nhyɛ yi fa nkuro a ɛwɔ akyiri nko ara ho, na ɛnyɛ nkuro a ɛwɔ bɔhyɛ asase no so.
16 “But in the cities that are in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, you must kill all the people and all the animals [LIT].
Na amanaman nkuro a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ sononko no deɛ, monsɛe biribiara a nkwa wɔ mu wɔ hɔ no.
17 You must get rid of them completely. Get rid of the Heth people-group, the Amor people-group, the Canaan people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group; that is what Yahweh our God commanded you to do.
Monsɛe Hetifoɔ, Amorifoɔ, Kanaanfoɔ, Perisifoɔ, Hewifoɔ ne Yebusifoɔ pasaa sɛdeɛ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, hyɛɛ mo no.
18 If you do not do that, they will teach you to sin against Yahweh our God and do the disgusting things that they do when they worship their gods.
Sɛ ɛba saa a, ɛremma nnipa a wɔte asase no so no nkyerɛ mo akyiwadeɛ ho amanneɛ a wɔnam so somm wɔn anyame a anka ɛbɛma mo ayɛ bɔne a emu yɛ duru atia Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, no.
19 “When you surround a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not cut down the fruit trees [outside the city]. You are allowed to eat the fruit from the trees, but do not get rid of the trees, because they certainly are not [RHQ] your enemies.
Sɛ moretua kuropɔn bi na ɔko no rekɔ so a, monnsɛe nnua. Monni nnuaba no na monntwitwa nnua no ngu. Nnua no nyɛ atamfoɔ a ɛsɛ sɛ moto hyɛ so!
20 You are permitted to cut down the other trees and use the wood to make ladders and towers to enable you to [go over the walls and] capture the city.”
Nanso, motumi twa nnua a monim sɛ ɛnyɛ aduane. Momfa nyɛ deɛ ɛho hia mo mfa ntua kuro no kɔsi sɛ ɛbɛdi nkoguo.
