Kwenda Vitani
120:1 Za 20:7; Isa 31:1; Hes 14:9; Kum 3:22; 1Sam 17:45; Isa 41:10; 2Nya 32:7-8; Hes 23:21; Kum 31:6, 8; 2Nya 13:12; 32:7, 8Mtakapokwenda vitani kupigana na adui zenu na mkaona farasi na magari ya vita na jeshi kubwa kuliko lenu, msiwaogope, kwa sababu Bwana Mungu wenu aliyewatoa kutoka Misri, atakuwa pamoja nanyi. 2Wakati mtakapokaribia kwenda vitani, kuhani atakuja mbele na kuhutubia jeshi. 320:3 1Sam 17:32; Ay 23:16; Za 22:14; Isa 7:4; 35:4; Yer 51:46Atasema: “Sikia, ee Israeli, leo unakwenda vitani kupigana na adui zako. Usife moyo wala usiogope, usitishwe wala usitiwe hofu mbele yao. 420:4 2Nya 20:14-22; Kut 14:14; 1Nya 5:22; Neh 4:20; Amu 12:3; 15:18; Za 44:7; 144:10; Kum 1:30Kwa kuwa Bwana Mungu wenu ndiye huenda pamoja nanyi kuwapigania dhidi ya adui zenu na kuwapatia ushindi.”
520:5 Neh 12:27Maafisa wataliambia jeshi: “Je, kuna yeyote aliyejenga nyumba mpya ambayo haijawekwa wakfu? Yeye na arudi nyumbani, ama sivyo anaweza kufa vitani na mtu mwingine akaiweka wakfu. 620:6 Yer 31:5; Eze 28:26; Mik 1:6; 1Kor 9:7Je, kuna yeyote aliyepanda shamba la mizabibu na hajaanza kulifurahia? Yeye na arudi nyumbani, au sivyo anaweza kufa vitani na mtu mwingine akalifurahia. 720:7 Kum 24:5; Mit 5:18Je, kuna yeyote aliyeposa mwanamke na hajamwoa? Yeye na arudi nyumbani, ama sivyo anaweza kufa vitani na mtu mwingine akamwoa.” 820:8 Amu 7:3Kisha maafisa wataongeza haya, “Je, kuna mtu anayeogopa ama kufa moyo? Yeye na arudi nyumbani ili ndugu zake nao wasije wakafa moyo pia.” 9Wakati maafisa watakapomaliza kuzungumza na jeshi, watawateua wakuu wa vikosi.
1020:10 Kum 2:26; Lk 14:31-32; 2Sam 20:18-20Wakati mtakapokwenda kushambulia mji, wapeni watu wake masharti ya amani. 1120:11 2Fal 6:22; 1Fal 9:21; 1Nya 22:2; Isa 31:7Wakikubali na kuwafungulia malango yao, watu wake wote watawatumikia kwa kufanya kazi ngumu na watawatumikia. 12Ikiwa watakataa kufanya mapatano ya amani na wakiwaingiza katika vita, basi mtauzunguka mji huo kwa vita. 1320:13 Hes 31:7Wakati Bwana Mungu wenu atakapouweka mji huo mkononi mwenu, waueni kwa upanga wanaume wote waliomo ndani yake. 1420:14 Yos 8:2; 22:8; Hes 31:11; 31:53Kwa upande wa wanawake, watoto, mifugo na kila kitu kingine chochote ndani ya huo mji, mnaweza kuvichukua kama nyara kwa ajili yenu. Nanyi mnaweza kuzitumia hizo nyara ambazo Bwana Mungu wenu amewapa kutoka kwa adui zenu. 1520:15 Yos 9:9Hivi ndivyo mtakavyofanya kwa miji yote ambayo iko mbali nanyi, ambayo haimilikiwi na mataifa ya karibu.
1620:16 Kut 23:31-33; Hes 21:2-3; Kum 7:2; Yos 6:21; 10:1; 11:14Hata hivyo, katika miji ya mataifa ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa kama urithi, msiache kitu chochote hai kinachopumua. 17Waangamizeni kabisa Wahiti, Waamori, Wakanaani, Waperizi, Wahivi na Wayebusi, kama Bwana Mungu wenu alivyowaamuru. 1820:18 Kut 34:16; 10:7; 23:33; Kum 12:30-31; Yos 23:12-13; 1Kor 15:33; 2Fal 21:3, 15; Za 106:34-41; Hos 8:11La sivyo, watawafundisha kufuata mambo yote ya machukizo wanayofanya wakiabudu miungu yao, nanyi mtatenda dhambi dhidi ya Bwana Mungu wenu.
19Wakati mtakapouzunguka mji kwa vita kwa muda mrefu, mkipigana dhidi yake ili kuuteka, msiharibu miti yake kwa kuikata kwa shoka, kwa sababu mtaweza kula matunda yake. Hivyo msiikate. Je, miti hiyo ya mashambani ni watu, hata muizingire? 20Hata hivyo, mnaweza kuikata miti ambayo sio miti ya matunda na kuitumia kujenga ngome, mpaka mji ulio katika vita na ninyi utakapoanguka.
Going to War
1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
5The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. 6Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. 7Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” 8Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” 9When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
10When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. 11If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. 12If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. 13When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. 14As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. 15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. 17Completely destroy20:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them. them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.
19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?20:19 Or down to use in the siege, for the fruit trees are for the benefit of people. 20However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.
