Rules For War
1 When you go to war against your enemies, you may see horses, chariots, and armies larger than yours. Do not be afraid of them for Jehovah your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.
1 When 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 out to battle against your enemies and see (A)horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, (B)do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
1 “When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,(A) is with you.
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.
2 A priest must come and speak to the troops before the battle begins.
2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
2 When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.
2 When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army.
2 As you draw near for battle, let the priest approach and speak to the army.
3 He should say: Listen, Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not lose your courage! Do not be afraid. Do not tremble because of them.
3 And 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;
3 He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. (C)Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them,
3 He is to say to them: ‘Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be cowardly. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them.
3 He 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.
4 Jehovah your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.
4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
4 for the Lord your God (D)is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
4 For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you(B) against your enemies to give you victory.’
4 For the LORD your God will be with you, fighting on your behalf against your enemies in order to grant you victory.'
5 The officers should speak to the army: If you have built a new house that has not been dedicated, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will dedicate it.
5 And 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 The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man that has built a new house and has not (E)dedicated it? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it.
5 “The officers are to address the army, ‘Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise, he may die in 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.
6 Have you planted a vineyard and not used its fruits? Go home to your house and vineyard. If you die in battle another man will use its fruit.
6 And 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.
6 Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not (a)begun to use its fruit? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man (b)would begin to use its fruit.
6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit?(a) Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.(b)
6 And 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.
7 Is there anyone here engaged to be married? If so, he should go home. Otherwise, if he is killed in battle, someone else will marry the woman he is engaged to.
7 And 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.
7 (F)And who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not (c)married her? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man (d)would marry her.’
7 Has any man become engaged to a woman and not married her? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man marry her.’
7 And 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 will also say to the men: Is there any man here who has lost his nerve and is afraid? If so, he is to go home. Otherwise, he will destroy the morale of the others.
8 And 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 Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘(G)Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that (e)he might not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart.’
8 The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers’ hearts won’t melt like his own.’
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.'
9 When the officers finish speaking to the army, leaders are to be chosen for each unit.
9 And 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 officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.
9 When the officers have finished addressing the army, they will appoint military commanders to lead it.
9 "When the officials have finished speaking to the army, they must appoint officers to lead the troops."
10 When you go to attack a city, first give its people a chance to surrender.
10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
10 “When you approach a city to fight against it, you must make an offer of peace.
10 "When you approach a city to wage war against it, extend terms of peace.
11 If they open the gates and surrender, they will all become your slaves and do forced labor for you.
11 And 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.
11 If it (g)agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your (H)forced labor and shall serve you.
11 If it accepts your offer of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.
11 If it agrees to peace and welcomes you, then all the people found in it will serve you as forced laborers.
12 If the people of that city choose to fight and will not surrender, surround it with your army.
12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
12 However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.
12 However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it.
12 But if they refuse to make peace with you and instead choose war, then attack it.
13 When Jehovah your God lets you capture the city, kill every man in it.
13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
13 When the Lord your God gives it into your hand, (I)you shall strike all the (h)men in it with the edge of the sword.
13 When the Lord your God hands it over to you, you must strike down all its males with the sword.
13 The LORD your God will deliver it into your control, and you must execute every male.
14 You may take the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city for yourselves. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. Jehovah has given it to you.
14 But 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.
14 Only the women and the children and (J)the animals and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourself; and you shall (i)use the spoil of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you.
14 But you may take the women, children, animals, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—as plunder. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that the Lord your God has given you.
14 The 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.
15 This is what you must do to all the cities that are far away that do not belong to the nations nearby.
15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations (j)nearby.
15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations.
15 Do this to all the cities that are distant from you that is, to those cities that are not in neighboring nations."
Laws Concerning War With Canaanite Nations
16 Do not spare anyone's life in the cities of these nations Jehovah your God is giving you as your property.
16 But 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 (K)Only in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.
16 However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
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.
17 You must capture the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites for Jehovah and completely destroy them. Jehovah your God commands you.
17 But 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:
17 But you shall (k)utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has commanded you,
17 You must completely destroy them—the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite—as the Lord your God has commanded you,
17 You must completely destroy the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, just as the LORD your God commanded you,
18 Otherwise, they will teach you to do all the disgusting things they do for their gods. You will sin against Jehovah your God.
18 That 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.
18 so that they may not teach you to do (L)according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would (M)sin against the Lord your God.
18 so that they won’t teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.(C)
18 so 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 This is what you must do whenever you blockade a city for a long time in order to capture it in war. Do not harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You may eat the fruit. Never cut those trees down, because the trees of the field are not people you have come to blockade.
19 When 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 besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. (l)For is the tree of the field a man, that it should (m)be besieged by you?
19 “When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. You must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you?
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?
20 You may destroy trees that you know are not fruit trees. You may cut them down and use them in your blockade until you capture the city.
20 Only 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.
20 Only the trees which you know (n)are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls.
20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce food. You may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.
20 However, 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."