Gũcookerithia 20
1 Rĩrĩa mũgaathiĩ kũrũa na thũ cianyu na muone irĩ na mbarathi na ngaari cia ita na mbũtũ cia ita nyingĩ gũkĩra cianyu, mũtikanaciĩtigĩre, nĩ ũndũ Jehova Ngai wanyu, ũrĩa wamũrutire bũrũri wa Misiri, agaakorwo hamwe na inyuĩ.
When you go out to war against other nations, and come face to face with horses and war-carriages and armies greater in number than yourselves, have no fear of them: for the Lord your God is with you, who took you up out of the land of Egypt.
2 Rĩrĩa mũgaakorwo mũkuhĩrĩirie gũthiĩ mbaara, mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai nĩagakuhĩrĩria mbũtũ cia ita na aciarĩrie.
And when you are on the point of attacking, let the priest come forward and say to the people,
3 Aciĩre atĩrĩ, “Thikĩrĩria wee Isiraeli, ũmũthĩ nĩ ũgũthiĩ mbaara-inĩ ũkarũe na thũ ciaku. Ndũgakue ngoro kana wĩtigĩre na ndũkamake kana ũinaine ũrĩ mbere yacio.
Give ear, O Israel: today you are going forward to the fight; let your heart be strong; do not let uncontrolled fear overcome you because of those who are against you;
4 Nĩgũkorwo Jehova Ngai waku nĩwe ũgũtwarana nawe nĩguo akũrũĩrĩre kũrĩ thũ ciaku, akũhootanĩre.”
For the Lord your God goes with you, fighting for you to give you salvation from those who are against you.
5 Anene nao nĩmakooria mbũtũ ya ita atĩrĩ: “Nĩ harĩ mũndũ wakĩte nyũmba njerũ na ndamĩrugũrĩtie? Nĩarekwo acooke mũciĩ, ndagakuĩre mbaara-inĩ, nake mũndũ ũngĩ atuĩke wa kũmĩrugũria.
And let the overseers say to the people, If there is any man who has made for himself a new house and has not gone into it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not take his house for himself.
6 Nĩ harĩ mũndũ ũhaandĩte mũgũnda wa mĩthabibũ na ndambĩrĩirie gũkenera matunda maguo? Nĩarekwo ainũke ndagakuĩre mbaara-inĩ nake mũndũ ũngĩ atuĩke wa gũkenera matunda macio.
Or if any man has made a vine-garden without taking the first-fruits of it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not be the first to make use of the fruit.
7 Nĩ harĩ mũndũ marĩkanĩire na mũndũ-wa-nja atĩ nĩekũmũhikia na ndamũhikĩtie? O nake nĩ ainũke ndagakuĩre mbaara-inĩ nake mũndũ-wa-nja ũcio ahikio nĩ mũndũ ũngĩ.”
Or if any man is newly married and has had no sex relations with his wife, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another man may not take her.
8 Ningĩ anene nĩmagacooka morie atĩrĩ, “Nĩ harĩ mũndũ ũretigĩra kana agakua ngoro? Ũcio nĩarekwo ainũke nĩgeetha ariũ a ithe o nao matigakue ngoro.”
And let the overseers go on to say to the people, If there is any man whose heart is feeble with fear, let him go back to his house before he makes the hearts of his countrymen feeble.
9 Rĩrĩa anene makaarĩkia kwarĩria mbũtũ cia ita-rĩ, nĩmagathuura anene a ita a gũtongoria mbũtũ icio.
Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.
10 Rĩrĩa mũkaambata mũkahũũre itũũra inene, mũkaamba kũũria andũ a rĩo metĩkĩre kũgĩe thayũ.
When you come to a town, before attacking it, make an offer of peace.
11 Mangĩgetĩkĩra na mahingũre ihingo ciao-rĩ, andũ a itũũra rĩu othe magaatuĩka a kũrutithio wĩra na hinya, mamũrutagĩre wĩra.
And if it gives you back an answer of peace, opening its doors to you, then all the people in it may be put to forced work as your servants.
12 Mangĩkaarega kũgĩe thayũ na mambĩrĩrie kũrũa na inyuĩ, mũgaathiũrũrũkĩria itũũra rĩu.
If however it will not make peace with you, but war, then let it be shut in on all sides:
13 Rĩrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu akaarĩneana moko-inĩ manyu-rĩ, mũkooraga arũme othe arĩa marĩ thĩinĩ warĩo.
And when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, let every male in it be put to death without mercy.
14 No ha ũhoro wa andũ-a-nja, na ciana, na mahiũ, o na kĩndũ kĩrĩa kĩngĩ gĩothe kĩrĩ thĩinĩ wa itũũra rĩu, no mũcitahe ituĩke cianyu. Na rĩrĩ, no mũhũthĩre indo icio Jehova Ngai wanyu amũheete kuuma kũrĩ thũ cianyu.
But the women and the children and the cattle and everything in the town and all its wealth, you may take for yourselves: the wealth of your haters, which the Lord your God has given you, will be your food.
15 Ũguo nĩguo mũgeeka matũũra manene mothe marĩa marĩ kũraya na kũrĩa mũrĩ no ti ma ndũrĩrĩ iria irĩ gũkuhĩ na inyuĩ.
So you are to do to all the towns far away, which are not the towns of these nations.
16 No rĩrĩ, thĩinĩ wa matũũra manene ma ndũrĩrĩ marĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe matuĩke igai rĩanyu, mũtikanatigie kĩndũ o nakĩ, kĩhihagia kana kĩrĩ muoyo.
But in the towns of these peoples whose land the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, let no living thing be kept from death:
17 Mũkaamaniina biũ; andũ a Ahiti, na Aamori, na Akaanani, na Aperizi, na Ahivi, na Ajebusi o ta ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu aamwathĩte.
Give them up to the curse; the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has given you orders:
18 Kwaga ũguo nĩmakamũruta kũrũmĩrĩra maũndũ mothe marĩ magigi marĩa mekaga makĩhooya ngai ciao, na inyuĩ nĩmũkehĩria Jehova Ngai wanyu.
So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning against the Lord your God.
19 Mũngĩgaakorwo mũthiũrũrũkĩirie itũũra ihinda iraaya, mũkĩrĩhũũra nĩguo mũrĩtahe, mũtikanathũkangie mĩtĩ yarĩo na kũmĩtemanga na ithanwa, nĩ ũndũ no mũrĩe matunda mayo. Mũtikanamĩteme. Mĩtĩ ya gĩthaka ĩkĩrĩ andũ, atĩ nĩguo mũmĩthiũrũrũkĩrie?
If in war a town is shut in by your armies for a long time, do not let its trees be cut down and made waste; for their fruit will be your food; are the trees of the countryside men for you to take up arms against them?
20 No rĩrĩ, no mũteme mĩtĩ ĩrĩa mũkũmenya atĩ ti ya matunda, na mũmĩtũmĩre gwĩthondekera mwĩgitio wa rũirigo nginya itũũra rĩu rĩrarũa na inyuĩ rĩgwe.
Only those trees which you are certain are not used for food may be cut down and put to destruction: and you are to make walls of attack against the town till it is taken.
