Deuteronomy 20
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King James BibleInternational Standard Version
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.1"When you go to war against your enemies and observe more horses, chariots, and soldiers than you have, don't be afraid of them, for the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt is with you.
2And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,2As you draw near for battle, let the priest approach and speak to the army.
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 will say to them, 'Listen, Israel! You're about to go into battle today against your enemies. Don't be faint-hearted. Don't be afraid, don't panic, and don't be terrified to face them.
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 will be with you, fighting on your behalf against your enemies in order to grant you victory.'
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.5"Furthermore, let the officials ask the army, 'Is there a man here who has built a new house but has not yet dedicated it? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.
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.6And is there a man here who has planted a vineyard and not yet benefited from it? Let him go home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man use it.
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.7And is there a man here who is engaged to a woman and has not yet married her? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man marry her.'
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.8"Let the officials also speak to the army, 'Is there a man here who is afraid and faint-hearted? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may demoralize his fellow soldier.'
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.9"When the officials have finished speaking to the army, they must appoint officers to lead the troops."
10When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.10"When you approach a city to wage war against it, extend terms of peace.
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 agrees to peace and welcomes you, then all the people found in it will serve you as forced laborers.
12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:12But if they refuse to make peace with you and instead choose war, then attack it.
13And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:13The LORD your God will deliver it into your control, and you must execute every male.
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.14The women, children, all the livestock in the city, and all of the spoil and plunder will belong to you. Appropriate the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God will give you.
15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.15Do this to all the cities that are distant from you—that is, to those cities that are not in neighboring nations."
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:16"You are not to leave even one person alive in the cities of these nations that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance.
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 the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, just as the LORD your God commanded you,
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 they won't teach you to do all the detestable things that they do for their gods. If you do what they teach you, you will sin against the LORD your God."
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:19"When you attack a city and have to fight against it for many days, don't destroy its trees by cutting them down with an ax. You may eat from them, but you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human beings, that you would come and attack them?
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.20However, you may cut down the trees whose fruit you know isn't edible, in order to build siege works against the city that waged war with you, until it falls."
King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.
Deuteronomy 19
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