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THE MESSAGE

Deuteronomy 20:11

This verse is not available in the MSG!

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.
Easy-to-Read Version
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.
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

10When you come up against a city to attack it, call out, "Peace?" If they answer, "Yes, peace!" and open the city to you, then everyone found there will be conscripted as forced laborers and work for you. But if they don't settle for peace and insist on war, then go ahead and attack. God , your God, will give them to you. Kill all the men with your swords. But don't kill the women and children and animals. Everything inside the town you can take as plunder for you to use and eat— God , your God, gives it to you. This is the way you deal with the distant towns, the towns that don't belong to the nations at hand. 16But with the towns of the people that God , your God, is giving you as an inheritance, it's different: don't leave anyone alive. Consign them to holy destruction: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, obeying the command of God , your God. This is so there won't be any of them left to teach you to practice the abominations that they engage in with their gods and you end up sinning against God , your God. 19When you mount an attack on a town and the siege goes on a long time, don't start cutting down the trees, swinging your axes against them. Those trees are your future food; don't cut them down. Are trees soldiers who come against you with weapons? The exception can be those trees which don't produce food; you can chop them down and use the timbers to build siege engines against the town that is resisting you until it falls.

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 20:1
Abraham traveled from there south to the Negev and settled down between Kadesh and Shur. While he was camping in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She's my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech in a dream that night and told him, "You're as good as dead—that woman you took, she's a married woman." Now Abimelech had not yet slept with her, hadn't so much as touched her. He said, "Master, would you kill an innocent man? Didn't he tell me, ‘She's my sister'? And didn't she herself say, ‘He's my brother'? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong when I did this." God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family." Abimelech was up first thing in the morning. He called all his house servants together and told them the whole story. They were shocked. Then Abimelech called in Abraham and said, "What have you done to us? What have I ever done to you that you would bring on me and my kingdom this huge offense? What you've done to me ought never to have been done." Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?" Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'" Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and along with her sent sheep and cattle and servants, both male and female. He said, "My land is open to you; live wherever you wish." And to Sarah he said, "I've given your brother a thousand pieces of silver—that clears you of even a shadow of suspicion before the eyes of the world. You're vindicated." Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they started having babies again. For God had shut down every womb in Abimelech's household on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Genesis 20:4
Now Abimelech had not yet slept with her, hadn't so much as touched her. He said, "Master, would you kill an innocent man? Didn't he tell me, ‘She's my sister'? And didn't she herself say, ‘He's my brother'? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong when I did this."
Genesis 22:12
"Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me."
Genesis 26:7
The men of the place questioned him about his wife. He said, "She's my sister." He was afraid to say "She's my wife." He was thinking, "These men might kill me to get Rebekah, she's so beautiful."
Genesis 42:18
On the third day, Joseph spoke to them. "Do this and you'll live. I'm a God-fearing man. If you're as honest as you say you are, one of your brothers will stay here in jail while the rest of you take the food back to your hungry families. But you have to bring your youngest brother back to me, confirming the truth of your speech—and not one of you will die." They agreed.
Job 1:1
Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!
Psalms 14:4
Don't they know anything, all these impostors? Don't they know they can't get away with this— Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray?
Proverbs 1:7
Start with God —the first step in learning is bowing down to God ; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.
Proverbs 16:6
Guilt is banished through love and truth; Fear-of- God deflects evil.

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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