Deuteronomy 20 ISV NLT Parallel

◄ Deuteronomy 20 ►

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International Standard Version

New Living Translation

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.

1“When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you!

2As you draw near for battle, let the priest approach and speak to the army.

2When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops.

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.

3He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them.

4For the LORD your God will be with you, fighting on your behalf against your enemies in order to grant you victory.'

4For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’

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.

5“Then the officers of the army must address the troops and say, ‘Has anyone here just built a new house but not yet dedicated it? If so, you may go home! You might be killed in the battle, and someone else would dedicate your house.

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.

6Has anyone here just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit? If so, you may go home! You might die in battle, and someone else would eat the first fruit.

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.'

7Has anyone here just become engaged to a woman but not yet married her? Well, you may go home and get married! You might die in the battle, and someone else would marry her.’

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.'

8“Then the officers will also say, ‘Is anyone here afraid or worried? If you are, you may go home before you frighten anyone else.’

9"When the officials have finished speaking to the army, they must appoint officers to lead the troops."

9When the officers have finished speaking to their troops, they will appoint the unit commanders.

10"When you approach a city to wage war against it, extend terms of peace.

10“As you approach a town to attack it, you must first offer its people terms for peace.

11If it agrees to peace and welcomes you, then all the people found in it will serve you as forced laborers.

11If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor.

12But if they refuse to make peace with you and instead choose war, then attack it.

12But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town.

13The LORD your God will deliver it into your control, and you must execute every male.

13When the LORD your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill every man in the town.

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.

14But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the plunder from your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.

15Do this to all the cities that are distant from you—that is, to those cities that are not in neighboring nations."

15“But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter.

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.

16In those towns that the LORD your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing.

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,

17You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the LORD your God has commanded you.

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."

18This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the LORD your God.

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?

19“When you are attacking a town and the war drags on, you must not cut down the trees with your axes. You may eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees. Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them?

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."

20You may only cut down trees that you know are not valuable for food. Use them to make the equipment you need to attack the enemy town until it falls.

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