| 1 Cuando salgas a la guerra contra tus enemigos y veas caballos y carros y un pueblo más numeroso que tú, no los temas, porque está contigo el Señor, tu Dios, que te hizo subir de la tierra de Egipto. | 1 "When you go forth to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, 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. |
| 2 Cuando vayáis a entablar combate, se adelantará el sacerdote para hablar al pueblo. | 2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people, |
| 3 Les dirá: “Escucha, Israel: vosotros vais a entablar hoy combate contra vuestros enemigos. No perdáis el valor, no temáis ni os turbéis, ni tembléis ante ellos, | 3 and shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them; |
| 4 porque el Señor, vuestro Dios, marcha con vosotros, combatiendo en favor vuestro contra vuestros enemigos, para salvaros”. | 4 for the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.' |
| 5 Luego los magistrados hablarán así al pueblo: “¿Quién ha edificado una casa nueva y no la ha estrenado? Que se retire y vuelva a su casa, no sea que muera en el combate y la estrene otro. | 5 Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, 'What man is there that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. |
| 6 Y ¿quién ha plantado una viña y no la ha vendimiado? Que se retire y vuelva a su casa, no sea que muera en el combate y la vendimie otro. | 6 And what man is there that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. |
| 7 Y ¿quién está prometido con una mujer y aún no se ha casado con ella? Que se retire y vuelva a su casa, no sea que muera en el combate, y otro se case con ella”. | 7 And what man is there that has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.' |
| 8 Después los magistrados volverán a hablar al pueblo y dirán: “¿Quién tiene miedo y no tiene valor? Que se retire y vuelva a su casa, para que su hermano no pierda el valor como él”. | 8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest the heart of his fellows melt as his heart.' |
| 9 Cuando los magistrados hayan terminado de hablar al pueblo, pondrán jefes de tropa al frente de él. | 9 And when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people. |
| 10 Cuando te acerques a una ciudad para combatir contra ella, primero proponle la paz. | 10 "When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. |
| 11 Si acepta la paz y te abre sus puertas, toda la población que se encuentre en ella se someterá a prestación personal y te servirá. | 11 And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. |
| 12 Pero si no acepta tu paz y te declara la guerra, la sitiarás. | 12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it; |
| 13 El Señor, tu Dios, la entregará en tus manos y pasarás a filo de espada a todos sus varones. | 13 and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword, |
| 14 Pero las mujeres, los niños, el ganado y todo lo que haya en la ciudad —todo su botín— lo tomarás para ti y comerás del botín de los enemigos que te entregue el Señor, tu Dios. | 14 but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you. |
| 15 Lo mismo harás con todas las ciudades muy alejadas de ti que no están entre las ciudades de esas naciones. | 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. |
| 16 Mas de las ciudades de estos pueblos que te entregue en herencia el Señor, tu Dios, no dejarás ni un ser vivo. | 16 But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, |
| 17 Consagrarás al exterminio a hititas, amorreos, cananeos, perizitas, heveos y jebuseos, como te mandó el Señor, tu Dios, | 17 but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded; |
| 18 para que no os enseñen a cometer todas las abominaciones que ellos cometen con sus dioses, y no pequéis contra el Señor, vuestro Dios. | 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against the LORD your God. |
| 19 Cuando sities una ciudad durante mucho tiempo, combatiendo contra ella para tomarla, no destruyas sus árboles blandiendo el hacha sobre ellos, porque de ellos podrás comer; no los tales, porque ¿acaso son seres humanos los árboles del campo para que hayan de ser sitiados por ti? | 19 "When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field men that they should be besieged by you? |
| 20 Pero si sabes que un árbol no es frutal, lo puedes destruir y talar, para construir obras de asedio contra la ciudad que te hace la guerra, hasta que caiga. | 20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls. |
