Deuteronomii 20

1 Si exieris ad bellum contra hostes tuos, et videris equitatus et currus, et maiorem quam tu habeas adversarii exercitus multitudinem, non timebis eos: quia Dominus Deus tuus tecum est, qui eduxit te de Terra Ægypti.

When thou goest out to battle against thy enemies, and thou seest horse, and chariot, people more in number than thou: be not afraid of them; for the Lord thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2 Appropinquante autem iam prælio, stabit sacerdos ante aciem, et sic loquetur ad populum:

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

3 Audi Israel, vos hodie contra inimicos vestros pugnam committitis, non pertimescat cor vestrum, nolite metuere, nolite cedere, nec formidetis eos:

And he shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye come nigh this day unto the battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and be not downcast, and do not tremble because of them:

4 quia Dominus Deus vester in medio vestri est, et pro vobis contra adversarios dimicabit, ut eruat vos de periculo.

For the Lord your God it is who goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to help you.

5 Duces quoque per singulas turmas audiente exercitu proclamabunt: Quis est homo, qui ædificavit domum novam, et non dedicavit eam? vadat, et revertatur in domum suam, ne forte moriatur in bello, et alius dedicet eam.

And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there who 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 Quis est homo qui plantavit vineam, et necdum fecit eam esse communem, de qua vesci omnibus liceat? vadat, et revertatur in domum suam: ne forte moriatur in bello, et alius homo eius fungatur officio.

And what man is there who hath planted a vineyard, and hath not redeemed it? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man redeem it.

7 Quis est homo, qui despondit uxorem, et non accepit eam? vadat, et revertatur in domum suam, ne forte moriatur in bello, et alius homo accipiat eam.

And what man is there 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 His dictis addent reliqua, et loquentur ad populum: Quis est homo formidolosus, et corde pavido? vadat, et revertatur in domum suam, ne pavere faciat corda fratrum suorum, sicut ipse timore perterritus est.

And the officers shall speak yet farther unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, that the heart of his brethren become not as faint as his heart.

9 Cumque siluerint duces exercitus, et finem loquendi fecerint, unusquisque suos ad bellandum cuneos præparabit.

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

10 Si quando accesseris ad expugnandam civitatem, offeres ei primum pacem.

When thou comest nigh unto a city to make war against it, then summon it with words of peace.

11 Si receperit, et aperuerit tibi portas, cunctus populus, qui in ea est, salvabitur, et serviet tibi sub tributo.

And it shall be, if it make thee an answer of peace, and open [its gates] unto thee: then shall it be, that all the people that are found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

12 Sin autem fœdus inire noluerit, et cœperit contra te bellum, oppugnabis eam.

But if it will not make peace with thee, and wageth war against thee; then shalt thou besiege it;

13 Cumque tradiderit Dominus Deus tuus illam in manu tua, percuties omne, quod in ea generis masculini est, in ore gladii,

And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thy hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword;

14 absque mulieribus et infantibus, iumentis et ceteris, quæ in civitate sunt. Omnem prædam exercitui divides, et comedes de spoliis hostium tuorum, quæ Dominus Deus tuus dederit tibi.

But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that may be in the city, all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as booty unto thyself; and thou shalt enjoy the spoil of thy enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

15 Sic facies cunctis civitatibus, quæ a te procul valde sunt, et non sunt de his urbibus, quas in possessionem accepturus es.

Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

16 De his autem civitatibus, quæ dabuntur tibi, nullum omnino permittes vivere:

But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, shalt thou not let live a single soul.

17 sed interficies in ore gladii, Hethæum videlicet, et Amorrhæum, et Chananæum, Pherezæum, et Hevæum, et Iebusæum, sicut præcepit tibi Dominus Deus tuus:

But thou shalt utterly devote them; namely, the Hittites, and the Emorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee;

18 ne forte doceant vos facere cunctas abominationes, quas ipsi operati sunt diis suis: et peccetis in Dominum Deum vestrum.

In order that they may not teach you to do in accordance with all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; and ye would thus sin against the Lord your God.

19 Quando obsederis civitatem multo tempore, et munitionibus circumdederis ut expugnes eam, non succides arbores, de quibus vesci potest, nec securibus per circuitum debes vastare regionem: quoniam lignum est, et non homo, nec potest bellantium contra te augere numerum.

When thou besiegest a city a long time, to make war against it to capture it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them; for of them thou mayest eat, and thou shalt not cut them down, [for man liveth of the trees of the field, ] to employ them in thy siege;

20 Si qua autem ligna non sunt pomifera, sed agrestia, et in ceteros apta usus, succide, et instrue machinas, donec capias civitatem, quæ contra te dimicat.

Only those trees of which thou knowest that they are not fruit-trees, thou mayest destroy and cut down; and [thus] thou canst build bulwarks against the city that wageth war with thee, until it be subdued.