Deuteronomio 20
Catholic Public Domain Version
1“If you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horsemen and chariots, and that the multitude of your adversary’s army is greater than your own, you shall not fear them. For the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, is with you.
2Then, as the battle now draws near, the priest shall stand before the front ranks, and he shall speak to the people in this manner:
3‘Listen, O Israel! Today you engage in a battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with fear. Do not be apprehensive. Do not yield. You should have no dread of them.
4For the Lord your God is in your midst, and he will contend against your enemies on your behalf, so that he may rescue you from peril.’
5Likewise, the officers shall proclaim, throughout every company, in the hearing of the soldiers: ‘What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may dedicate it.
6What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not yet caused it to be common, so that all may eat from it? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may carry out his office.
7What man is there, who has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in battle, and another man may take her.’
8After these things have been declared, they shall add the remainder, and shall say to the people: ‘What man is there who is overwhelmed by fear and is fainthearted? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he cause the hearts of his brothers to fear, just as he himself has been thoroughly stricken with fear.’
9And when the officers of the army have become silent, and have completed their speech, each one shall prepare his unit to wage war.
10When, at any time, you approach a city to fight against it, you shall first offer peace to it.
11If they receive it, and open the gates to you, then all the people who are in it shall be saved, and they shall serve you by paying tribute.
12But if they are not willing to enter into an agreement, and they begin to act against you in warfare, then you shall besiege it.
13And when the Lord your God will have delivered it into your hands, you shall strike down anyone who is in it, of the male gender, with the edge of the sword,
14but not the women and young children, nor the cattle and the other things that are within the city. And you shall divide all the plunder to the soldiers, and you shall eat the spoils from your enemies, which the Lord your God will give to you.
15So shall you do to all the cities which are at a great distance from you, those which are not among the cities that you shall receive as a possession.
16But among those cities which shall be given to you, you shall not permit anyone at all to live.
17Instead, you shall put them to death with the edge of the sword, specifically: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite, the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you.
18Otherwise, they may teach you to do all the abominations which they have committed for their own gods. And then you would sin against the Lord your God.
19When you will have besieged a city for a long time, and you will have encircled it with fortifications, so that you may fight against it, you shall not cut down trees from which one is able to eat, neither shall you cause devastation with axes to the surrounding region. For it is a tree, and not a man. It is not able to increase the number of those who are fighting against you.
20But if there are any trees which are not fruitful, but are wild, and if these are fit for other uses, then cut them down, and make machines, until you have captured the city that is contending against you.”
Reina-Valera 1909
1CUANDO salieres á la guerra contra tus enemigos, y vieres caballos y carros, un pueblo más grande que tú, no tengas temor de ellos, que Jehová tu Dios es contigo, el cual te sacó de tierra de Egipto.
2Y será que, cuando os acercareis para combatir, llegaráse el sacerdote, y hablará al pueblo,
3Y les dirá: Oye, Israel, vosotros os juntáis hoy en batalla contra vuestros enemigos: no se ablande vuestro corazón, no temáis, no os azoréis, ni tampoco os desalentéis delante de ellos;
4Que Jehová vuestro Dios anda con vosotros, para pelear por vosotros contra vuestros enemigos, para salvaros.
5Y los oficiales hablarán al pueblo, diciendo: ¿Quién ha edificado casa nueva, y no la ha estrenado? Vaya, y vuélvase á su casa, porque quizá no muera en la batalla, y otro alguno la estrene.
6¿Y quién ha plantado viña, y no ha hecho común uso de ella? Vaya, y vuélvase á su casa, porque quizá no muera en la batalla, y otro alguno la goce.
7¿Y quién se ha desposado con mujer, y no la ha tomado? Vaya, y vuélvase á su casa, porque quizá no muera en la batalla, y algún otro la tome.
8Y tornarán los oficiales á hablar al pueblo, y dirán: ¿Quién es hombre medroso y tierno de corazón? Vaya, y vuélvase á su casa, y no apoque el corazón de sus hermanos, como su corazón.
9Y será que, cuando los oficiales acabaren de hablar al pueblo, entonces los capitanes de los ejércitos mandarán delante del pueblo.
10Cuando te acercares á una ciudad para combatirla, le intimarás la paz.
11Y será que, si te respondiere, Paz, y te abriere, todo el pueblo que en ella fuere hallado te serán tributarios, y te servirán.
12Mas si no hiciere paz contigo, y emprendiere contigo guerra, y la cercares,
13Luego que Jehová tu Dios la entregare en tu mano, herirás á todo varón suyo á filo de espada.
14Solamente las mujeres y los niños, y los animales, y todo lo que hubiere en la ciudad, todos sus despojos, tomarás para ti: y comerás del despojo de tus enemigos, los cuales Jehová tu Dios te entregó.
15Así harás á todas las ciudades que estuvieren muy lejos de ti, que no fueren de las ciudades de estas gentes.
16Empero de las ciudades de estos pueblos que Jehová tu Dios te da por heredad, ninguna persona dejarás con vida;
17Antes del todo los destruirás: al Hetheo, y al Amorrheo, y al Cananeo, y al Pherezeo, y al Heveo, y al Jebuseo; como Jehová tu Dios te ha mandado:
18Porque no os enseñen á hacer según todas sus abominaciones, que ellos hacen á sus dioses, y pequéis contra Jehová vuestro Dios.
19Cuando pusieres cerco á alguna ciudad, peleando contra ella muchos días para tomarla, no destruyas su arboleda metiendo en ella hacha, porque de ella comerás; y no la talarás, que no es hombre el árbol del campo para venir contra ti en el cerco.
20Mas el árbol que supieres que no es árbol para comer, lo destruirás y lo talarás, y construye baluarte contra la ciudad que pelea contigo, hasta sojuzgarla.
King James Version
1When 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.
2And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
3And 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;
4For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
5And 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.
6And 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.
7And 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.
8And 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.
9And 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.
10When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
11And 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.
12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
13And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
14But 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.
15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
17But 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:
18That 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.
19When 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:
20Only 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.
World English Bible
1When 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 the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
2It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
3and 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;
4for the LORD your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
5The 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.
6What 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.
7What 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.”
8The 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.”
9It shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people.
10When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
11It 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.
12If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it.
13When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword;
14but 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 the LORD your God has given you.
15Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16But of the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
17but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you;
18that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against the LORD your God.
19When 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?
20Only 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.