Deuteronomy 20:12

Myles Coverdale Bible

But yf they wyl not deale peaceably wt the, and wyll warre with the, then besege it:

Parallel Translations

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

Hebrew Names Version
If it will make no shalom with you, but will make 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:

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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,

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:

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

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

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;

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

Revised Standard Version
But if it makes no peace with you, 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.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ Whan thou commest nye vnto a cite to fight against it, thou shalt offre them peace ¹¹ 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. ¹² But yf they wyl not deale peaceably wt the, and wyll warre with the, then besege it: ¹³ and whan the LORDE thy God delyuereth it in to thy hande, thou shalt smyte all the males that are therin, with the edge of the swerde: ¹⁴ saue the wemen and the children. As for the catell, and all that is in the cite, and all the spoyle, thou shalt take them vnto thy selfe, and eate the spoyle of thine enemies, which the LORDE thy God hath geuen the. ¹⁵ Thus shalt thou do vnto all the cities, that are very farre from the, and are not of the cities of these nacions. ¹⁶ But in the cities of these nacions, which the LORDE thy God shall geue the to enheritauce, thou shalt leaue nothinge alyue that hath breth, ¹⁷ but shalt vtterly destroye the, namely the Hethites, Amorites, Cananites, Pheresites, Heuites, & Iebusites, as the LORDE thy God hath commaunded the, ¹⁸ yt they teache you not to do all ye abhominacions, which they do vnto their goddes, & so ye to synne agaynst the LORDE youre God. ¹⁹ Whan thou must lye a longe season before a cite, against the which thou makest warre to take it, thou shalt not destroye ye trees therof that thou woldest hew them downe wt the axe, for thou mayest eate therof: and therfore shalt thou not hew them downe. For it is but wodd vpon the felde, and no man, and can not come & be bullworkes agaynst the.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 11:29
Then Abram and Nahor toke them wyues. Abrams wife was called Sarai, & Nahors wyfe Milca the doughter of Haran, which was father of Milca and Iisca.

Genesis 12:13
Therfore (I pray ye) saye thou art my sister, that I maye fare the better by reason of the, and that my soule maye lyue for thy sake.

1 Thessalonians 5:22
Abstayne fro all suspicious thinges.

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.