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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Deuteronomy 20:11

If they accept your offer and open their gates, all the people in that city will become your slaves and be forced to work for you.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   War, Holy War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Issachar;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adoniram;   Tax;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Captives;   War;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If it accepts your offer of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.
Hebrew Names Version
It shall be, if it make you answer of shalom, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people who are found therein shall become tributary to you, and shall serve you.
King James Version
And 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.
Lexham English Bible
And then if they accept your terms of peace and they surrender to you, and then all the people inhabiting it shall be forced labor for you, and they shall serve you.
English Standard Version
And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.
New Century Version
If they accept your offer and open their gates to you, all the people of that city will become your slaves and work for you.
New English Translation
If it accepts your terms and submits to you, all the people found in it will become your slaves.
Amplified Bible
"If that city accepts your terms of peace and opens its gates to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you.
New American Standard Bible
"And if it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and serve you.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And if it answere thee againe peaceably, and open vnto thee, then let all the people that is founde therein, be tributaries vnto thee, and serue thee.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it will be that if it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you.
Complete Jewish Bible
If it accepts the terms for peace and opens its gates to you, then all the people there are to be put to forced labor and work for you.
Darby Translation
And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then all the people that are found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
George Lamsa Translation
And if the city give you answer of peace, and it open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be servants and tributaries to you, and they shall serve you.
Good News Translation
If they open the gates and surrender, they are all to become your slaves and do forced labor for you.
Literal Translation
And it shall be, if it answers peace to you, and shall open to you, then it shall be that all the people found in it shall be forced laborers for you, and shall serve you.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf they answere the peaceably, and open vnto the, then shal all ye people yt is founde therin, be tributaries vnto the, and serue ye.
American Standard Version
And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee.
Bible in Basic English
And if it gives you back an answer of peace, opening its doors to you, then all the people in it may be put to forced work as your servants.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if they aunswere thee agayne peaceably, and open vnto thee, then let all the people that is founde therin, be tributaries vnto thee, and serue thee.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee.
King James Version (1611)
And it shall be, if it make thee answere of peace, and open vnto thee, then it shalbe that all the people that is found therein, shall be tributaries vnto thee, and they shall serue thee.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If then they should answer peaceably to thee, and open to thee, it shall be that all the people found in it shall be tributary and subject to thee.
English Revised Version
And 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 become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee.
Berean Standard Bible
If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If the citee resseyueth, and openeth to thee the yatis, al the puple that is ther ynne schal be saued, and schal serue thee vndur tribut.
Young's Literal Translation
and it hath been, if Peace it answer thee, and hath opened to thee, then it hath come to pass -- all the people who are found in it are to thee for tributaries, and have served thee.
Update Bible Version
And it shall be, if it answers peace to you, and opens to you, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become slave labor to you, and shall serve you.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall be, if it shall make thee answer of peace, and open to thee, then it shall be, [that] all the people [that are] found therein, shall be tributaries to thee, and they shall serve thee.
World English Bible
It shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people who are found therein shall become tributary to you, and shall serve you.
New King James Version
And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you.
New Living Translation
If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor.
New Life Bible
If they agree to make peace with you and open their gates to you, all the people who are found there will be made to work for you and serve you.
New Revised Standard
If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to you, then all the people in it shall serve you at forced labor.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
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.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If they receive it, and open the gates to thee, all the people that are therein, shall be saved, and shall serve thee paying tribute.
Revised Standard Version
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.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you.

Contextual Overview

10 "When you go to attack a city, you must first offer peace to the people there. 11 If they accept your offer and open their gates, all the people in that city will become your slaves and be forced to work for you. 12 But if the city refuses to make peace with you and fights against you, you should surround the city. 13 And when the Lord your God lets you take the city, you must kill all the men in it. 14 But you may take for yourselves the women, the children, the cattle, and everything else in the city. You may use all these things. The Lord your God has given these things to you. 15 That is what you must do to all the cities that are very far from you—the cities that are not in the land where you will live. 16 "But when you take cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you must kill everyone. 17 You must completely destroy all the people—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Lord your God has commanded you to do this. 18 So then they will not be able to teach you to sin against the Lord your God or to do any of the terrible things they do when they worship their gods. 19 "When you are making war against a city, you might surround that city for a long time. You must not cut down the fruit trees around that city. You may eat the fruit from these trees, but you must not cut them down. These trees are not the enemy, so don't make war against them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

tributaries: Leviticus 25:42-46, Joshua 9:22, Joshua 9:23, Joshua 9:27, Joshua 11:19, Joshua 11:20, Joshua 16:10, Judges 1:28, Judges 1:30-35, 1 Kings 9:21, 1 Kings 9:22, Psalms 120:7, Luke 19:14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 2:26 - with words Deuteronomy 7:2 - make no Joshua 9:6 - We be Joshua 9:8 - General Joshua 9:15 - made peace Joshua 17:13 - put the Judges 11:12 - sent messengers 2 Samuel 20:18 - They were wont 2 Kings 6:22 - wouldest

Cross-References

Genesis 12:12
When the Egyptian men see you, they will say, ‘This woman is his wife.' Then they will kill me and keep you alive because they want you.
Genesis 20:1
Abraham left that place and traveled to the Negev. He settled in the city of Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur. While in Gerar,
Genesis 20:4
But Abimelech had not yet slept with Sarah, so he said, "Lord, I am not guilty. Would you kill an innocent man?
Genesis 22:12
The angel said, "Don't kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you do respect and obey God. I see that you are ready to kill your son, your only son, for me."
Genesis 26:7
His wife Rebekah was very beautiful. The men of that place asked Isaac about Rebekah. He said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to tell them Rebekah was his wife. He was afraid the men would kill him so that they could have her.
Genesis 42:18
After three days Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. Do this, and I will let you live.
Nehemiah 5:15
But the governors who ruled before me made life hard for the people. The governors forced everyone to pay 1 pound of silver. They also made the people give them food and wine. The leaders under these governors also ruled over the people and made life even harder. But I respected and feared God, so I didn't do things like that.
Job 1:1
There was a man named Job who lived in the country of Uz. He was a good, honest man. He respected God and refused to do evil.
Job 28:28
Then he said to humans, ‘To fear and respect the Lord is wisdom. To turn away from evil is understanding.'"
Psalms 14:4
Those who are evil treat my people like bread to be eaten. And they never ask for the Lord 's help. Don't they know what they are doing?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace,.... Comply with the terms of peace offered:

and open unto thee; the gates of the city and its garrisons, and deliver all into their hands:

then it shall be that all the people that is found therein; some having made their escape before the surrender of the city:

shall be tributaries unto thee: pay a yearly tax imposed upon them, as the Moabites sometimes did, and which was paid in lambs and rams with the wool, 2 Kings 3:4

and they shall serve thee; not as slaves, or be in continual bondage and servitude; but upon occasion be called out to any public service, as joining them against their enemies, rebuilding palaces and cities, or repairing walls of cities, and the like; and in general acknowledge their dominion over them, and their own subjection to them, by paying an annual tribute, or sending gifts unto them; thus the Moabites, Syrians, and Edomites, became the servants of David, 2 Samuel 8:2.

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.


 
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