Deuteronomy 20

1 When you go out to war against other nations, and come face to face with horses and war-carriages and armies greater in number than yourselves, have no fear of them: for the Lord your God is with you, who took you up out of the land of Egypt.

When you go forth to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more than you, 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.

2 And when you are on the point of attacking, let the priest come forward and say to the people,

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

3 Give ear, O Israel: today you are going forward to the fight; let your heart be strong; do not let uncontrolled fear overcome you because of those who are against you;

and shall tell them, "Hear, Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: do not let your heart faint; do not be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;

4 For the Lord your God goes with you, fighting for you to give you salvation from those who are against you.

for the LORD your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."

5 And let the overseers say to the people, If there is any man who has made for himself a new house and has not gone into it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not take his house for himself.

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 return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

6 Or if any man has made a vine-garden without taking the first-fruits of it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not be the first to make use of the fruit.

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

7 Or if any man is newly married and has had no sex relations with his wife, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another man may not take her.

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

8 And let the overseers go on to say to the people, If there is any man whose heart is feeble with fear, let him go back to his house before he makes the hearts of his countrymen feeble.

The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, "What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother's heart melt as his heart."

9 Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.

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

10 When you come to a town, before attacking it, make an offer of peace.

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

11 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.

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 in it shall become tributary to you, and shall serve you.

12 If however it will not make peace with you, but war, then let it be shut in on all sides:

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

13 And when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, let every male in it be put to death without mercy.

and when the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword:

14 But the women and the children and the cattle and everything in the town and all its wealth, you may take for yourselves: the wealth of your haters, which the Lord your God has given you, will be your food.

but the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its spoil, you shall take for a prey to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

15 So you are to do to all the towns far away, which are not the towns of these nations.

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 But in the towns of these peoples whose land the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, let no living thing be kept from death:

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

17 Give them up to the curse; the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has given you orders:

but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hethite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as the LORD your God has commanded you;

18 So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning against the Lord your God.

that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so would you sin against the LORD your God.

19 If in war a town is shut in by your armies for a long time, do not let its trees be cut down and made waste; for their fruit will be your food; are the trees of the countryside men for you to take up arms against 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 axe against them; for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of you?

20 Only those trees which you are certain are not used for food may be cut down and put to destruction: and you are to make walls of attack against the town till it is taken.

Only the trees of which you know that they are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build siege works against the city that makes war with you, until it fall.