Deuteronomy 20 NKJV ISV Parallel

◄ Deuteronomy 20 ►

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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 is with you, who brought you up from 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.

2So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people.

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

3And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be 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 who goes 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.'

5“Then 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.

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.

6Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to 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 who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry 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.'

8“The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like 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 so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to 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."

10“When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it.

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

11And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you.

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

12Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it.

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

13And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it 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, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which the LORD your God gives you.

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 you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, 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."

16“But of the cities of these peoples which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive,

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 you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you,

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,

18lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you 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."

19“When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food.

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 you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, to build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it is 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."

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