20:1 "When you go forth 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.
20:1 When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots, 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 from the land of Egypt.

20:2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people,
20:2 Before you engage in battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the troops,

20:3 and shall say to them, `Hear, O Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them;
20:3 and shall say to them: "Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them;

20:4 for the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'
20:4 for it is the LORD your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory."

20:5 Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, `What man is there that 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.
20:5 Then the officials shall address the troops, saying, "Has anyone built a new house but not dedicated it? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another dedicate it.

20:6 And what man is there that 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.
20:6 Has anyone planted a vineyard but not yet enjoyed its fruit? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another be first to enjoy its fruit.

20:7 And what man is there that 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.'
20:7 Has anyone become engaged to a woman but not yet married her? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another marry her."

20:8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest the heart of his fellows melt as his heart.'
20:8 The officials shall continue to address the troops, saying, "Is anyone afraid or disheartened? He should go back to his house, or he might cause the heart of his comrades to melt like his own."

20:9 And when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.
20:9 When the officials have finished addressing the troops, then the commanders shall take charge of them.

20:10 "When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it.
20:10 When you draw near to a town to fight against it, offer it terms of peace.

20:11 And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.
20:11 If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to you, then all the people in it shall serve you at forced labor.

20:12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;
20:12 If it does not submit to you peacefully, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;

20:13 and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword,
20:13 and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword.

20:14 but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.
20:14 You may, however, take as your booty the women, the children, livestock, and everything else in the town, all its spoil. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

20:15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.
20:15 Thus you shall treat all the towns that are very far from you, which are not towns of the nations here.

20:16 But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
20:16 But as for the towns of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive.

20:17 but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Per'izzites, the Hivites and the Jeb'usites, as the LORD your God has commanded;
20:17 You shall annihilate them--the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites--just as the LORD your God has commanded,

20:18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against the LORD your God.
20:18 so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the LORD your God.

20:19 "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; for you may eat of them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field men that they should be besieged by you?
20:19 If you besiege a town for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you?

20:20 Only the trees which 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.
20:20 You may destroy only the trees that you know do not produce food; you may cut them down for use in building siegeworks against the town that makes war with you, until it falls.