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20 ¶ Lè nou soti pou n' al goumen kont lènmi nou yo, epi nou wè yo gen plis chwal, plis cha lagè ak plis moun pase nou, nou pa bezwen pè, paske Seyè a, Bondye nou an, li menm ki te fè nou moute soti nan peyi Lejip la, l'ap kanpe la avèk nou.

Lè lè batay la rive, prèt la va vanse, l'a pale ak sòlda yo.

L'a di yo: -Koute byen, moun Izrayèl yo: Jòdi a nou pral goumen kont lènmi nou yo. Kè nou pa bezwen sote. Nou pa bezwen pè, nou pa bezwen tranble, ni nou pa bezwen kouri pou yo.

Seyè a, Bondye nou an, ap mache avèk nou. L'a goumen pou nou kont lènmi nou yo pou l' fè nou genyen batay la.

Apre sa, chèf yo va pale ak sòlda yo. Y'a di yo: -Eske gen yon moun la a ki fèk fin bati yon kay, men ki poko fè sèvis pou mete kay la apa pou Bondye? Si gen yon moun konsa, pito l' al fè wout li lakay li, paske li ka mouri nan goumen an, epi se yon lòt moun ki va fè sèvis pou mete kay la apa pou Bondye.

Eske gen yon moun la a ki fèk plante yon jaden rezen epi ki poko gen chans fè yon rekòt rezen menm? Si gen yon moun konsa, pito l' al fè wout li lakay li, paske li ka mouri nan batay la, epi se va yon lòt moun ki va jwi jaden rezen l' lan.

Eske gen yon moun isit la ki fiyanse pou l' marye? Si gen yon moun konsa, pito l' al fè wout li lakay li, paske li ka mouri nan lagè a epi se yon lòt moun ki va marye ak fiyanse l' la.

Apre sa, chèf yo va di sòlda yo ankò: -Eske gen yon moun la a ki pè, ki santi li pa gen kouraj pou l' al goumen? Si gen yon moun konsa, pito l' al fè wout li lakay li, paske li ka kraze kouraj lòt yo tou.

Lè chèf yo va fin pale konsa ak sòlda yo, y'a chwazi yon kaptenn pou chak divizyon pou mache alatèt lame a.

10 ¶ Lè n'ap pwoche bò yon lavil pou n' atake l', premye bagay n'a fè, n'a mande l' pou l' fè lapè ak nou.

11 Si yo dakò, si yo louvri pòtay lavil la ban nou, tout moun nan lavil la va travay fè kòve pou nou, y'a tounen esklav nou.

12 Men, si yo refize fè lapè ak nou epi yo mande goumen, n'a sènen lavil la toupatou epi n'a atake l'.

13 Seyè a, Bondye nou an, va lage l' nan men nou. Epi n'a touye dènye gason ki nan lavil la.

14 Men, n'a pran tout fanm yo, tout pitit yo, tout bèt yo ak tou sa ki nan lavil la, ak tout byen lènmi yo va kite pou nou. N'a manje tou sa n'a pran nan men lènmi nou yo paske se Seyè a menm ki ban nou yo.

15 Se konsa n'a fè sa pou tout lavil ki byen lwen nou, andeyò limit peyi Seyè a ban nou pou nou rete a.

16 Men, lè nou pran yon lavil ki nan limit peyi Seyè a ap ban nou pou nou rete a, se pou nou touye tou sa ki vivan ladan l'.

17 Se pou nou touye tout moun sa yo: moun Et yo, moun Amori yo, moun Kanaran yo, moun Ferèz yo, moun Ivi yo, moun Jebis vo. Se pou nou ofri yo bay Seyè a, Bondye nou an, jan li te ban nou lòd la.

18 Se pou nou disparèt yo pou yo pa fè nou tonbe nan peche kont Seyè a, Bondye nou an, pou yo pa moutre nou fè tout vye bagay lèd y'ap fè pou bondye pa yo.

19 Si lè n'ap atake yon lavil nou wè nou blije sènen l' pandan lontan anvan pou nou ka pran l', piga nou koupe ankenn pyebwa ki bay fwi, paske nou ka bezwen fwi yo pou nou manje. Pa koupe pyebwa yo. Se pyebwa ase yo ye, se pa moun yo ye. Ou pa ka aji avèk yo tankou moun ki nan lavil ou sènen an.

20 Men, nou gen dwa debranche pyebwa ki pa bay fwi, nou ka koupe yo, nou ka sèvi ak yo pou fè zouti pou atake lavil la jouk lavil la va tonbe nan men nou.

Going to War

20 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours,(A) do not be afraid(B) of them,(C) because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with(D) you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted(E) or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you(F) to fight(G) for you against your enemies to give you victory.(H)

The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in(I) it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. Has anyone planted(J) a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it?(K) Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.(L) Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”(M) When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

10 When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.(N) 11 If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject(O) to forced labor(P) and shall work for you. 12 If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. 13 When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.(Q) 14 As for the women, the children, the livestock(R) and everything else in the city,(S) you may take these as plunder(T) for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. 15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance(U) from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

16 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.(V) 17 Completely destroy[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,(W) and you will sin(X) against the Lord your God.

19 When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?[b] 20 However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees(Y) and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 20:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  2. Deuteronomy 20:19 Or down to use in the siege, for the fruit trees are for the benefit of people.