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 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.
2 Rĩrĩa mũgaakorwo mũkuhĩrĩirie gũthiĩ mbaara, mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai nĩagakuhĩrĩria mbũtũ cia ita na aciarĩrie.
When you are ready to start the battle, the Supreme Priest must stand in front of the troops.
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.
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],
4 Nĩgũkorwo Jehova Ngai waku nĩwe ũgũtwarana nawe nĩguo akũrũĩrĩre kũrĩ thũ ciaku, akũhootanĩre.”
because Yahweh our God will go with you. He will fight your enemies for you, and he will enable you to defeat them.’
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.
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].
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.
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].
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.”
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.’
8 Ningĩ anene nĩmagacooka morie atĩrĩ, “Nĩ harĩ mũndũ ũretigĩra kana agakua ngoro? Ũcio nĩarekwo ainũke nĩgeetha ariũ a ithe o nao matigakue ngoro.”
“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.’
9 Rĩrĩa anene makaarĩkia kwarĩria mbũtũ cia ita-rĩ, nĩmagathuura anene a ita a gũtongoria mbũtũ icio.
And when the officers have finished speaking to the troops, they must appoint commanders [to lead the groups of soldiers].
10 Rĩrĩa mũkaambata mũkahũũre itũũra inene, mũkaamba kũũria andũ a rĩo metĩkĩre kũgĩe thayũ.
“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.
11 Mangĩgetĩkĩra na mahingũre ihingo ciao-rĩ, andũ a itũũra rĩu othe magaatuĩka a kũrutithio wĩra na hinya, mamũrutagĩre wĩra.
If they open the gates of the city and surrender, they all will become your slaves to work for you.
12 Mangĩkaarega kũgĩe thayũ na mambĩrĩrie kũrũa na inyuĩ, mũgaathiũrũrũkĩria itũũra rĩu.
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].
13 Rĩrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu akaarĩneana moko-inĩ manyu-rĩ, mũkooraga arũme othe arĩa marĩ thĩinĩ warĩo.
Then, when Yahweh our God enables you to capture [IDM] the city, you must kill all the men in the city.
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 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.
15 Ũguo nĩguo mũgeeka matũũra manene mothe marĩa marĩ kũraya na kũrĩa mũrĩ no ti ma ndũrĩrĩ iria irĩ gũkuhĩ na inyuĩ.
You should do that in all the cities that are far from the land in which you will settle.
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 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].
17 Mũkaamaniina biũ; andũ a Ahiti, na Aamori, na Akaanani, na Aperizi, na Ahivi, na Ajebusi o ta ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu aamwathĩte.
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.
18 Kwaga ũguo nĩmakamũruta kũrũmĩrĩra maũndũ mothe marĩ magigi marĩa mekaga makĩhooya ngai ciao, na inyuĩ nĩmũkehĩria Jehova Ngai wanyu.
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.
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?
“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.
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.
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.”
