Deuteronomy 20

1 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 go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Adonai your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery].

2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,

It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

3 saying to them, “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because of them.

and shall tell them, “Sh'ma ·Hear obey·, Israel [God prevails], you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;

4 For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

for Adonai your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

5 Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.

The officers shall speak to the people, saying, “What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and teshuvah ·completely return· to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.

What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and teshuvah ·completely return· to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit.

7 Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man marry her.”

What man is there who has pledged to be married a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and teshuvah ·completely return· to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.”

8 Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own.”

The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and teshuvah ·completely return· to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”

9 When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.

It shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people.

10 When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.

When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

11 If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.

It shall be, if it makes you answer of peace, and opens to you, then it shall be, that all the people who are found therein shall become forced laborers to you, and shall serve you.

12 But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.

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

13 When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword.

When Adonai your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword;

14 But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you.

but the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself. You may use the plunder of your enemies, which Adonai your God has given you.

15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

16 However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.

But of the cities of these peoples, that Adonai your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;

17 For you must devote them to complete destruction —the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,

but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite [Descendant of Trembling fear], the Amorite [Descendants of Talkers], the Canaanite [Descendant of Humbled], the Perizzite [Descendant of Belonging to village], the Hivite [Wicked], and the Jebusite [Descendants of Thresher]; as Adonai your God has enjoined you;

18 so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.

that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done to their deities; so would you sin ·err (from the standard goal)· against Adonai your God.

19 When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?

When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you?

20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.

Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.