Deuteronomy 20:12

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

But if it will not make peace with thee, but will make war with thee, then shalt thou lay siege to it;

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
But if it will make no peace with thee, but make war against thee, then shalt thou besiege it.

Hebrew Names Version
If it will make no shalom with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

Easy-to-Read Version
But if the city refuses to make peace with you and fights against you, you should surround the city.

English Standard Version
But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

American Standard Version
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

Bible in Basic English
If however it will not make peace with you, but war, then let it be shut in on all sides:

Complete Jewish Bible
However, if they refuse to make peace with you but prefer to make war against you, you are to put it under siege.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it.

King James Version (1611)
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make warre against thee, then thou shalt besiege it.

Amplified Bible
"However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall lay siege to it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if they will not hearken to thee, but wage war against thee, thou shalt invest it;

English Revised Version
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

Berean Standard Bible
But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.

Lexham English Bible
But if they do not accept your terms of peace and they want to make war with you, then you shall lay siege against it.

Literal Translation
And if it shall not make peace with you, and shall make war with you, then you shall lay siege against it.

New Century Version
But if they do not make peace with you and fight you in battle, you should surround that city.

New English Translation
If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it.

New King James Version
Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it.

New Living Translation
But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town.

New Life Bible
But if they do not make peace with you and fight against you, you must take the city in battle.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if they will not make peace, and shall begin war against thee, thou shalt besiege it.

George Lamsa Translation
But if it will not surrender to you, but will make war with you, then you shall besiege it;

Good News Translation
But if the people of that city will not surrender, but choose to fight, surround it with your army.

New American Standard Bible
"However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

King James Version
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

Darby Translation
And if it will not make peace with thee, but will make war with thee, then thou shalt besiege it;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli if they nylen make boond of pees, and bigynnen batel ayens thee, thou schalt fiyte ayens it.

Young's Literal Translation
`And if it doth not make peace with thee, and hath made with thee war, then thou hast laid siege against it,

World English Bible
If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

Revised Standard Version
But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;

Update Bible Version
And if it will not make peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

Webster's Bible Translation
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if they wyll make no peace with thee, but make warre agaynst thee, thou shalt besiege it.

Christian Standard Bible®
However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf they wyl not deale peaceably wt the, and wyll warre with the, then besege it:

New Revised Standard
If it does not submit to you peacefully, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

Legacy Standard Bible
However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ When thou shalt come nigh unto a city, to fight against it, - then shalt thou proclaim unto it - peace, ¹¹ and it shall be if peace, be the answer it giveth thee, and it open unto thee, then shall it be, that, all the people that are found therein, shall become thy tributaries and shall serve thee. ¹² But if it will not make peace with thee, but will make war with thee, then shalt thou lay siege to it; ¹³ and Yahweh thy God will deliver it into thy hand, - and thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword; ¹⁴ but the women and the little ones and the cattle and all that shall be in the city - all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as thy prey, - so shalt thou eat the spoil of thine enemies, whom Yahweh thy God hath delivered unto thee. ¹⁵ Thus, shalt thou do unto all the cities that are very far away from thee, - which are not of the cities of those nations. ¹⁶ But of the cities of these peoples which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee as an inheritance, shalt thou not save alive, any breathing thing. ¹⁷ But thou shalt devote them to destruction - the Hittites and the Amorites the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, - as Yahweh thy God hath commanded thee: ¹⁸ lest they teach you to do, according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, - and so ye sin against Yahweh your God. ¹⁹ When thou shalt besiege a city for many days to fight against it, to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding against them an axe, when of them, thou mightest eat, them, there-fore shalt thou not cut down, - for, Is the tree of the field, a man, that it should enter, because of thee into the siege?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 11:29
And Abram and Nahor took to themselves wives; the name of Abrams wife, was Sarai; and, the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, daughter of Haran father of Milcah, and father of Iscah.

Genesis 12:13
Say, I beseech thee that my sister, art thou, - to the end it may be well with me for thy sake, so shall my soul be preserved alive because of thee.

1 Thessalonians 5:22
From every form of wickedness, abstain.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if it will make no peace with thee,.... Will not accept of terms of peace offered:

but will make war against thee; come out and fight, or prepare to defend themselves: then thou shall besiege it; surround and block it up on all sides with their forces; the Jews say only on three sides, leaving one for any to flee and make their escape if they thought fit;

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Directions intended to prevent wanton destruction of life and property in sieges.

Deuteronomy 20:16

Forbearance, however, was not to be shown toward the Canaanite nations, which were to be utterly exterminated (compare Deuteronomy 7:1-4). The command did not apply to beasts as well as men (compare Joshua 11:11, Joshua 11:14).

Deuteronomy 20:19

The parenthesis may he more literally rendered “for man is a tree of the field,” i. e., has his life from the tree of the field, is supported in life by it (compare Deuteronomy 24:6). The Egyptians seem invariably to have cut down the fruit-trees in war.