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Deuteronomy 20:1–4

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Laws Concerning War with Distant Enemies

20:1When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry1 and troops2 who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 20:2As you move forward for battle, the priest3 will approach and say to the soldiers,420:3“Listen, Israel! Today you are moving forward to do battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not fear and tremble or be terrified because of them, 20:4for the Lord your God goes with you to fight on your behalf against your enemies to give you victory.”5

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Heb “horse and chariot.”
  2. 2 Heb “people.”
  3. 3 The reference to the priest suggests also the presence of the ark of the covenant, the visible sign of God’s presence. The whole setting is clearly that of “holy war” or “Yahweh war,” in which God himself takes initiative as the true commander of the forces of Israel (cf. Exod 14:14–18; 15:3–10; Deut 3:22; 7:18–24; 31:6, 8).
  4. 4 Heb “and he will say to the people.” Cf. , , “the army”; , “the troops.”
  5. 5 Or “to save you” (so , , ); or “to deliver you.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“When you go out 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. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When 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. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He 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. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army. He is to say to them, ‘Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be cowardly. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’

NLTNew Living Translation

“When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, an army larger than you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt. And then when you approach the battle, then the priest shall come near and speak to the troops. And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, Israel, you are near today to the battle against your enemies; do not lose heart; you shall not be afraid, and you shall not panic, and you shall not be terrified because of them, for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.’

KJV 1900King James Version

When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.