Your Papa Dey Fight For You
Before battle, priest go tell the army make dem no fear, because their Papa dey go with dem. Then dem go send some men go house — new house, new vineyard, woman wey e don engage, or just fear. Dem go first offer cities peace, and even army wey surround city no fit cut fruit trees.
20 1When you go fight war against your enemies and you see horses, chariots, and army wey plenty pass your own, no fear dem, because your Papa dey with you—di one wey bring you comot from di land of Egypt. 2When you dey near to enter battle, di priest go come forward come talk to di people. 3E go tell dem, “Hear, Israel: today una dey go battle against una enemies. No lose heart, no fear, no shake, make dem no put fear for una belle, 4because your Papa dey go with una, to fight una enemies for una and give una victory.”
5Den di officers go tell di people: “Any person dey wey build new house but never dedicate am? Make e go house, so e no go die for battle and another person come dedicate am. 6Any person dey wey plant vineyard but never chop im fruit yet? Make e go house, so e no go die for battle and another person come chop am. 7Any person dey wey don engage woman but never marry am? Make e go house, so e no go die for battle and another man come marry am.” 8Di officers go still talk to di people say, “Any person dey wey dey fear and im mind don weak? Make e go house, so im brothers heart no go melt like im own.” 9When di officers finish to talk to di people, dem go appoint army commanders to lead dem.
10When you draw near to one city to fight am, first offer am peace. 11If e answer you with peace and open im gate for you, all di people wey dey inside go serve you as forced laborers. 12But if e refuse peace and make war against you, den you go siege am. 13When your Papa hand am over give you, use sword kill all di men wey dey inside. 14But di women, di children, di livestock, and everything wey dey di city—all im spoil—you fit take for una own self, and enjoy di spoil of una enemies, wey your Papa don give una. 15Na so you go treat every city wey dey far, wey no dey among di cities of dis nations. 16But for di cities of dis peoples wey your Papa dey give you as inheritance, no leave anything wey get breath alive. 17Instead, devote dem to complete destruction—di Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as your Papa don command you, 18so dem no go teach you to copy all di dirty things wey dem dey do for dia gods, wey go make you sin against your Papa.
19When you siege one city for long time, dey fight war to capture am, no destroy im trees by swinging axe against dem. You fit chop from dem, but no cut dem down. Because di trees of di field no be human being, wey you go treat like your enemy. 20Na only di trees wey you sabi say no be for food you fit cut down, so dat you fit build siege works against di city wey dey war with you until e fall.
