Deuteronomy · Unlocked Literal Bible
Deuteronomy 20 Unlocked Literal Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 When you march out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you must not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, he who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
1 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
2 When you are about to enter into battle, the priest must approach and speak to the people.
2 It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
3 He must say to them, 'Listen, Israel, you are going to battle against your enemies. Do not let your hearts faint. Do not fear or tremble. Do not be afraid of them.
3 and shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;
4 For Yahweh your God is the one who is going with you to fight for you against your enemies and to save you.'
4 for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
5 The officers must speak to the people and say, 'What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man dedicates it.
5 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.
6 Is there anyone who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go home, so he will not die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
6 What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit.
7 What man is there who is engaged to marry a woman but has not yet married her? Let him go home so that he does not die in battle and another man marries her.'
7 What man is there who has pledged to be married to a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.”
8 The officers must speak further to the people and say, 'What man is there who is fearful or fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that his brother's heart does not melt like his own heart.'
8 The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”
9 When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they must appoint commanders over them.
9 It shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people.
10 When you march up to attack a city, make those people an offer of peace.
10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
11 If they accept your offer and open their gates to you, all the people who are found in it must become forced labor for you and must serve you.
11 It shall be, if it gives you answer of peace and opens to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found therein shall become forced laborers to you, and shall serve you.
12 But if it makes no offer of peace to you, but instead makes war against you, then you must besiege it,
12 If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it.
13 and when Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, you must kill every man in the town.
13 When Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword;
14 But the women, the little ones, the cattle, and everything that is in the city, and all its spoil, you will take as booty for yourself. You will consume the booty of your enemies, whom Yahweh your God has given to you.
14 but the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself. You may use the plunder of your enemies, which Yahweh your God has given you.
15 You must act in this way toward all the cities that are very far from you, cities that are not of the cities of these following nations.
15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16 In the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must save alive nothing that breathes.
16 But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
17 Instead, you must completely destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you.
17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you;
18 Do this so that they do not teach you to act in any of their abominable ways, as they have done with their gods. If you do, you will sin against Yahweh your God.
18 that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God.
19 When you will besiege a city for a long time, as you wage war against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. For you may eat from them, so you must not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man whom you should besiege?
19 When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you?
20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you may destroy and cut down; you will build siege works against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Cross references (17)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Chronicles 32:7–8; Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 20:7; Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 43:2
- 2 2 Chronicles 13:12; Numbers 31:6; Numbers 10:8–9; 1 Samuel 14:18; Judges 20:27–28
- 3 Hebrews 13:6; Psalm 3:6; Revelation 2:10; Joshua 23:10; Psalm 27:1–3
- 4 Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 3:22; Deuteronomy 1:30; Joshua 23:10; Deuteronomy 11:25
- 5 Nehemiah 12:27; 1 Samuel 17:18; Deuteronomy 16:18; Numbers 31:48; Deuteronomy 1:15
- 6 Leviticus 19:23–25
- 7 Deuteronomy 24:5; Deuteronomy 28:30; 2 Timothy 2:4; Deuteronomy 22:23–25; Matthew 1:18
- 8 Judges 7:3; Revelation 21:8; Deuteronomy 1:28; Acts 15:37–38; Deuteronomy 23:9
- 10 Luke 10:5–6; 2 Corinthians 5:18–6:1; Ephesians 2:17; 2 Samuel 20:18–22; Zechariah 9:10
- 11 Joshua 11:19–20; Joshua 9:27; Joshua 9:22–23; Luke 19:14; Leviticus 25:42–46
- 13 Psalm 2:6–12; Luke 19:27; 1 Kings 11:15–16; Psalm 21:8–9; Numbers 31:17–18
- 14 Joshua 8:2; Joshua 22:8; Numbers 31:9; 2 Chronicles 20:25; Numbers 31:12
- 16 Joshua 11:14; Numbers 21:2–3; Deuteronomy 7:16; Deuteronomy 7:1–4; Joshua 6:17–21
- 17 Isaiah 34:5–6; Jeremiah 50:35–40; Deuteronomy 7:1–2; Ezekiel 38:21–23; Jeremiah 48:10
- 18 Deuteronomy 12:30–31; Exodus 23:33; Ephesians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14; 2 Corinthians 6:17
- 19 Matthew 3:10; Matthew 21:19; Deuteronomy 26:6; John 15:2–8; Luke 13:7–9
- 20 Isaiah 37:33; Jeremiah 6:6; Jeremiah 33:4; Ezekiel 17:17; Deuteronomy 1:28
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences