Deuteronomy 20

1 When thou goest out to battle against thy enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

When thou shalt go out to wage war against thine enemy, and shalt see the horses and chariots of a people more in number than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them, —for, Yahweh thy God, is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2 And it shall be, when ye are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

And it shall be, when ye are coming nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people;

3 And shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day to battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;

and shall say unto them, —Hear, O Israel, ye are coming near to-day, unto battle against your enemies, —let not your heart faint do not fear nor start nor quake because of them.

4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

For Yahweh your God, is he that is going with you, —to fight for you against your enemies to save you.

5 And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he should die in the battle, and another man should dedicate it.

Then shall the officers speak unto the people saying, Who is the man that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return unto his house, —lest he die in the battle, and, another man dedicate it.

6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return to his house, lest he should die in the battle, and another man should eat of it.

And who is the man that hath planted a vineyard and hath not thrown it open? let him go and return unto his house, —lest he die in the battle, and another man, throw it open.

7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return to his house, lest he should die in battle, and another man should take her.

And who is the man that hath betrothed a wife and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, —lest he die in the battle, and, another man, take her.

8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren’s heart should faint as well as his heart.

Then shall the officers further speak unto the people, and say—Who is the man that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, —lest his brethren’s heart melt as well as his heart.

9 And it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, then shall they appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

10 When thou comest near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

When thou shalt come nigh unto a city, to fight against it, —then shalt thou proclaim unto it—peace,

11 And it shall be, if it shall make thee answer of peace, and open to thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found in it shall be forced labourers to thee, and they shall serve thee.

and it shall be if peace, be the answer it giveth thee, and it open unto thee, then shall it be, that, all the people that are found therein, shall become thy tributaries and shall serve thee.

12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

But if it will not make peace with thee, but will make war with thee, then shalt thou lay siege to it;

13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thy hands, thou shalt smite every male of it with the edge of the sword:

and Yahweh thy God will deliver it into thy hand, —and thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword;

14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil of it, shalt thou take to thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thy enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

but the women and the little ones and the cattle and all that shall be in the city—all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as thy prey, —so shalt thou eat the spoil of thine enemies, whom Yahweh thy God hath delivered unto thee.

15 Thus shalt thou do to all the cities which are very distant from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

Thus, shalt thou do unto all the cities that are very far away from thee, —which are not of the cities of those nations.

16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

But of the cities of these peoples which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee as an inheritance, shalt thou not save alive, any breathing thing.

17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

But thou shalt devote them to destruction—the Hittites and the Amorites the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, —as Yahweh thy God hath commanded thee:

18 That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

lest they teach you to do, according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, —and so ye sin against Yahweh your God.

19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees of it by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life ) to employ them in the siege:

When thou shalt besiege a city for many days to fight against it, to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding against them an axe, when of them, thou mightest eat, them, there-fore shalt thou not cut down, —for, Is the tree of the field, a man, that it should enter, because of thee into the siege?

20 Only the trees which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it shall be subdued.

Nevertheless, the tree of which thou knowest that it is, not a tree yielding food, the same, mayest thou destroy, and cut down, —and so build up a siege-work against the city which is making war with thee, until thou hast subdued it.