Deuteronomy 20
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Laws of Warfare

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1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.1“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.1"When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.1When thou goest out to battle against thine 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, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.1When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.2And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people2"When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.2And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,2When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army.
3He shall say: "Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.3and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them,3"He shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them,3And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;3He is to say to them: 'Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be cowardly. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them.
4For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."4for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’4for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'4For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.4For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.'"
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5The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it.5Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.5"The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, 'Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it.5And the officers shall speak unto 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 die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.5The officers are to address the army, 'Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.
6Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it.6And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit.6'Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use its fruit? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would begin to use its fruit.6And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.6Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
7Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her."7And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’7'And who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would marry her.'7And 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.7Has any man become engaged to a woman and not married her? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man marry her.'
8Then the officers shall add, "Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too."8And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’8"Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, 'Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brothers' hearts melt like his heart.'8And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.8The officers will continue to address the army and say, 'Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers' hearts won't melt like his own.'
9When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.9And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.9"When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.9And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.9When the officers have finished addressing the army, they will appoint military commanders to lead it."
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10When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.10“When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it.10"When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace.10When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.10When you approach a city to fight against it, you must make an offer of peace.
11If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.11And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.11"If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you.11And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.11If it accepts your offer of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.
12If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.12But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.12"However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:12However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it.
13When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.13And when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword,13"When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword.13And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:13When the LORD your God hands it over to you, you must strike down all its males with the sword.
14As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.14but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.14"Only the women and the children and the animals and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourself; and you shall use the spoil of your enemies which the LORD your God has given you.14But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.14But you may take the women, children, animals, and whatever else is in the city--all its spoil--as plunder. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.
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15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.15Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.15"Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations nearby.15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations.
16However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.16But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,16"Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.16But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:16However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
17Completely destroy them--the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--as the LORD your God has commanded you.17but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded,17"But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you,17But 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:17You must completely destroy them--the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite--as the LORD your God has commanded you,
18Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God.18that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the LORD your God.18so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God.18That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.18so that they won't teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God."
19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?19“When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?19"When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof 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:19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. You must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you?
20However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.20Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.20"Only the trees which you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls.20Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.20But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce food. You may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls."



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