Deuteronomy 20 Parallel Bible Translations

Deuteronomy 20 ▼
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1 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you. “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. When 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.
2 It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people, And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.
3 and shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them; and 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, He 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.
4 for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’ For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
5 The officers shall speak to the people, saying, “What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. Then 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. The 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.
6 What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit. And 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. Has 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.
7 What man is there who has pledged to be married to a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.” And 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.’ Has 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.”
8 The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.” And 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.’ Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”
9 It shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people. And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people. When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it. “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.
11 It shall be, if it gives you answer of peace and opens to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found therein shall become forced laborers to you, and shall serve you. And 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. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.
12 If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.
13 When Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword; And when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
14 but the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself. You may use the plunder of your enemies, which Yahweh your God has given you. but 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. As 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.
15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16 But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes; But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.
17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you; but 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, Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you.
18 that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God. that 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. Otherwise, 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.
19 When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you? “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? When 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?
20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls. Only 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. However, 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.
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