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.
“Lapho liphuma ukuyakulwa lesitha senu empini libe selibona amabhiza lezinqola kanye lebutho elikhulu ukwedlula elenu, lingabesabi, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, owalikhupha eGibhithe, uzakuba lani.
2 And it shall be when ye are come nigh to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
Nxa selilungele ukuhlasela, umphristi uzakuza akhulume lebutho.
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;
Uzakuthi: ‘Zwana, wena Israyeli, namuhla liya ekuhlaseleni izitha zenu. Lingapheli amandla kumbe lesabe; lingatshaywa luvalo njalo lethuke phambi kwabo.
4 For the LORD your God [is] he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu nguye ohamba lani ukuyalilwela ezitheni zenu ukuba linqobe.’
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.
Izikhulu zizakuthi ebuthweni: ‘Ukhona owakhe indlu entsha ongakayihlali na? Kabuyele emzini wakhe, funa afe empini kuthi omunye asale esezihlalela endlini yakhe.
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.
Ukhona ohlanyele isivini kodwa engakadli izithelo zaso na? Kabuyele emzini wakhe, funa afe empini kuthi omunye azidlele izithelo zaso.
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.
Ukhona osethembise owesifazane kodwa engakamthathi ukuthi abe ngumkakhe na? Kabuyele emzini wakhe, funa afe empini kuthi omunye umuntu amthathe’
8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man [is there that is] fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren's heart should faint as well as his heart.
Izikhulu zizaqhubeka zithi, ‘Ikhona indoda eyesabayo kumbe ephelelwa ngamandla na? Kayibuyele emzini wayo ukuze abafowabo labo bangaphelelwa ngamandla.’
9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
Kuzakuthi lapho izikhulu seziqedile ukukhuluma lebutho, zizakhetha abalawuli bebutho.
10 When thou comest nigh to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
Nxa lisiya edolobheni ukuthi lihlasele, khulumani labantu bakulelodolobho lidinga ukuthula.
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 therein, shall be tributaries to thee, and they shall serve thee.
Bangavuma njalo balivulele amasango abo, bonke abantu bakulelodolobho bazakuba yizichaka zenu balisebenzele.
12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
Kodwa bangala ukwamukela amazwi enu okuthula balihlasele, livimbezeleni lelodolobho.
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:
Kuzakuthi lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esenikele idolobho lelo kini, libulale amadoda wonke ngenkemba.
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.
Kodwa abesifazane, abantwana, izifuyo kanye lakho konke okukulelodolobho kuzakuba yimpango yenu. Yonke impango yezitha zenu uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika yona izakuba ngeyenu.
15 Thus shalt thou do to all the cities [which are] very distant from thee, which [are] not of the cities of these nations.
Lokhu yikho okumele likwenze emadolobheni wonke akude lani njalo angasiwo ezizwe ezihlala eduzane lani.
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:
Kanti-ke, emadolobheni ezizwe uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika wona njengelifa, lingatshiyi lutho oluphefumulayo luphila.
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:
Lizawabhubhisa liwaqede wonke amaHithi, ama-Amori, amaKhenani, amaPherizi, amaHivi kanye lamaJebusi njengokulaywa kwenu nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
18 That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations which they have done to their gods; so would ye sin against the LORD your God.
Funa balifundise ukwenza imikhuba yabo enengekayo yokukhonza onkulunkulu babo, lone kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
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 ax 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:
Nxa idolobho selilivimbezele okwesikhathi eside, lilihlasela ukuze lilithumbe, lingatshabalalisi izihlahla zalo ngokuzigamula, ngoba lingadla izithelo zazo. Lingazigamuli. Kambe izihlahla zeganga zingabantu ukuthi lingazivimbezela na?
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.
Kodwa-ke lingagamula izihlahla elizaziyo ukuthi azitheli izithelo ezidliwayo ukuze lizisebenzise ekwakheni amadumba lize linqobe ledolobho lelo empini.”
