Deuteronomy 20

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Deuteronomy 20

1And if you should go forth to war against your enemies, and should see horse, and rider, and a people more numerous than yourself; you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.Ἐὰν δὲ ἐξέλθῃς εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου, καὶ ἴδῃς ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην καὶ λαὸν πλείονά σου, οὐ φοβηθήσῃ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου μετὰ σοῦ, ὁ ἀναβιβάσας σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.

2And it shall come to pass whenever you shall draw near to battle, that the priest shall draw near and speak to the people, and shall say to them,Καὶ ἔσται ὅταν ἐγγίσῃς τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ προσεγγίσας ὁ ἱερεὺς λαλήσει τῷ λαῷ,

3Hear, O Israel; you are going this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint, fear not, neither be confounded, neither turn aside from their face.καὶ ἐρεῖ πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ· ὑμεῖς πορεύεσθε σήμερον εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν· μὴ ἐκλυέσθω ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν, μὴ φοβεῖσθε, μηδὲ θραύεσθε, μηδὲ ἐκκλίνετε ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν.

4For it is the Lord your God who advances with you, to fight with you against your enemies, and to save you.Ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ὁ προπορευόμενος μεθʼ ὑμῶν, συνεκπολεμῆσαι ὑμῖν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν διασῶσαι ὑμᾶς.

5And the scribes shall speak to the people, saying, What man is he that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the war, and another man dedicate it.Καὶ λαλήσουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, λέγοντες, τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ οἰκοδομήσας οἰκίαν καινὴν, καὶ οὐκ ἐνεκαίνισεν αὐτήν; πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν· οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀποθάνῃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἕτερος ἐγκαινιεῖ αὐτήν.

6And what man is he that has planted a vineyard, and not been made merry with it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man be made merry with it.Καὶ τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅστις ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ οὐκ εὐφράνθη ἐξ αὐτοῦ; πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀποθάνῃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἕτερος εὐφρανθήσεται ἐξ αὐτοῦ.

7And what man is he that has betrothed 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.Καὶ τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅστις μεμνήστευται γυναῖκα, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβεν αὐτήν; πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀποθάνῃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἕτερος λήψεται αὐτήν.

8And the scribes shall speak further to the people, and say, What man is he that fears and is cowardly in his heart? Let him go and return to his house, lest he make the heart of his brother fail, as his own.Καὶ προσθήσουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, καὶ ἐροῦσι, τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος καὶ δειλὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ; πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ δειλιάνῃ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ἡ αὐτοῦ.

9And it shall come to pass when the scribes shall have ceased speaking to the people, that they shall appoint generals of the army to be leaders of the people.Καὶ ἔσται ὅταν παύσωνται οἱ γραμματεῖς λαλοῦντες πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, καὶ καταστήσουσιν ἄρχοντας τῆς στρατιᾶς προηγουμένους τοῦ λαοῦ.

10And if you shall draw near to a city to overcome them by war, then call them out peaceably.Ἐὰν δὲ προσέλθῃς πρὸς πόλιν ἐκπολεμῆσαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκκαλέσαι αὐτοὺς μετʼ εἰρήνης.

11If then they should answer peaceably to you, and open to you, it shall be that all the people found in it shall be tributary and subject to you.Ἐὰν μὲν εἰρηνικὰ ἀποκριθῶσί σοι, καὶ ἀνοίξωσί σοι, ἔσται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οἱ εὑρεθέντες ἐν αὐτῇ ἔσονταί σοι φορολόγητοι καὶ ὑπήκοοί σου.

12But if they will not listen to you, but wage war against you, you shall invest it;Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὑπακούσωσί σοι, καὶ ποιῶσι πρὸς σὲ πόλεμον, περικαθιεῖς αὐτὴν,

13until the Lord your God shall deliver it into your hands, and you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword:ἕως ἂν παραδῷ σοι αὐτὴν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, καὶ πατάξεις πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν αὐτῆς ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας,

14except the women and the stuff: and all the cattle, and whatever shall be in the city, and all the plunder you shall take as spoil for yourself, and shall eat all the plunder of your enemies whom the Lord your God gives you.πλὴν τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τῆς ἀποσκευῆς· καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ὑπάρχῃ ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπαρτίαν προνομεύσεις σεαυτῷ, καὶ φαγῇ πᾶσαν τὴν προνομὴν τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, ὧν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι.

15Thus shall you do to all the cities that are very far off from you, not being of the cities of these nations which the Lord your God gives you to inherit their land.Οὕτως ποιήσεις πάσας τὰς πόλεις τὰς μακρὰν οὔσας σου σφόδρα, οὐχὶ ἐκ τῶν πόλεων τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων,

16Of these you shall not take any thing alive;ὧν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι κληρονομεῖν τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν. Οὐ ζωγρήσετε πᾶν ἐμπνέον,

17but you shall surely curse them, the Chettite, and the Amorite, and the Chananite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Gergesite; as the Lord your God commanded you:ἀλλʼ ἢ ἀναθέματι ἀναθεματιεῖτε αὐτοὺς, τὸν Χετταῖον, καὶ Ἀμοῤῥαῖον, καὶ Χαναναῖον, καὶ Φερεζαῖον, καὶ Εὐαῖον, καὶ Ἰεβουσαῖον, καὶ Γεργεσαῖον, ὃν τρόπον ἐνετείλατό σοι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου,

18that they may not teach you to do all their abominations, which they did to their gods, and so you should sin before the Lord your God.ἵνα μὴ διδάξωσι ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς πάντα τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν, ὅσα ἐποίησαν τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἁμαρτήσεσθε ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν.

19And if you should besiege * a city many days to prevail against it by war to take it, you shall not destroy its trees, by applying an iron tool to them, but you shall eat of it, and shall not cut it down: Is the tree that is in the field a man, to enter † before you into ‡ the work of the siege?Ἐὰν δὲ περικαθίσῃς περὶ πόλιν μίαν ἡμέρας πλείους ἐκπολεμῆσαι αὐτὴν εἰς κατάληψιν αὐτῆς, οὐκ ἐξολεθρεύσεις τὰ δένδρα αὐτῆς, ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπʼ αὐτὰ σίδηρον, ἀλλʼ ἢ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ φαγῇ, αὐτὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐκκόψεις· μὴ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ξύλον τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, εἰσελθεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου σου εἰς τὸν χάρακα;

20But the tree which you know to be not fruit-bearing, this you shall destroy and cut down; and you shall construct a mound against the city, which makes war against you, until it be delivered up.Ἀλλὰ ξύλον ὃ ἐπίστασαι ὅτι οὐ καρπόβρωτόν ἐστι, τοῦτο ὀλοθρεύσεις καὶ ἐκκόψεις· καὶ οἰκοδομήσεις χαράκωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, ἥτις ποιεῖ πρὸς σὲ τὸν πόλεμον, ἕως ἂν παραδοθῇ.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 19*Gr. one city.
• v. 19†Gr. against you.
• v. 19‡Gr. the trench. See Matt. 3:10.