Deuteronomy 20

1 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them: for the LORD your God is with you, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

When you go to war with your enemies and you see horses and chariots, and a larger army than yours, don't be afraid of them, because the Lord your God who led you out of Egypt is with you.

2 And it shall be, when all of you are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

Before you go into battle, the priest shall come and speak to the army.

3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, all of you approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be all of you terrified because of them;

He is to tell them, “Listen, men of Israel! Today you are going to fight your enemies. Don't be nervous or afraid; don't be panicked or terrified by them.

4 For the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

For the Lord your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you the victory.”

5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that 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.

The officers shall also speak to the army and tell them, “Is there any man here who has built a new house and hasn't dedicated it to the Lord? He can go home, otherwise he might die in battle and another man will dedicate it.

6 And what man is he that has planted a vineyard, and has not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

Is there any man here who has planted a vineyard and hasn't yet enjoyed its fruit? He can go home, otherwise he might die in battle and another man will enjoy its fruit.

7 And what man is there that has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

Is there any man here who is engaged to a woman and hasn't married her? He can go home, otherwise he might die in battle and another man will marry her.”

8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.

The officers are also to tell the army, “Is there any man here who is afraid or nervous? He can go home, so he won't affect his fellow-soldiers and make them as frightened as himself.”

9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

After the officers have finished speaking to the army, they are put commanders in charge to lead it into battle.

10 When you come nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.

When you arrive at a town, ready to attack it, you must first make an offer of peace to the people living there.

11 And it shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open unto you, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto you, and they shall serve you.

If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates to you, all the inhabitants will become your slave-laborers.

12 And if it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

However, if they refuse to make peace with you and decide to fight you, then lay siege to the town.

13 And when the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you shall strike every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

Once the Lord your God has handed it over to you, kill every male with the sword.

14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall you take unto yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

But you can take as plunder the women, children, livestock, and everything else in the town. You can take and use all your enemies' possessions the Lord your God gives you.

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

This is the way you are to deal with all the towns that are a long way from you and don't belong to neighboring nations.

16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God does give you for an inheritance, you shall keep alive nothing that breathes:

However, when it comes to the towns of those nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you to occupy, don't leave anything alive that breathes.

17 But you shall utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you:

Set them apart for complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has ordered you to do.

18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should all of you sin against the LORD your God.

This is to prevent them teaching you all the offensive things they do in worshiping their gods, and in so doing make you sin against the Lord your God.

19 When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:

Now when you lay siege to a town and it goes on for a long time as you fight to capture it, don't destroy the fruit trees there. You can eat their fruit. Don't cut them down. Are the trees in the orchard human beings that you should also attack?

20 Only the trees which you know that they be not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it be subdued.

However, you may destroy the trees that you know are not fruit trees. You can use them to build siege equipment to attack the town that is fighting against you until it falls.