Deuteronomy 20
1 “When you go out to battle against your enemy, and have seen horse and chariot—a people more numerous than you—you are not afraid of them, for your God YHWH [is] with you, who is bringing you up out of the land of Egypt;
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.
2 and it has been, in your drawing near to the battle, that the priest has come near, and spoken to the people,
When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,
3 and said to them, Hear, O Israel: You are drawing near today to battle against your enemies, do not let your hearts be tender, do not fear, nor make haste, nor be terrified at their presence,
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.
4 for your God YHWH [is] He who is going with you, to fight for you with your enemies—to save you.
For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
5 And the authorities have spoken to the people, saying, Who [is] the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man dedicate it.
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.
6 And who [is] the man that has planted a vineyard and has not made it common? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man make it common.
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.
7 And who [is] the man that has betrothed a woman and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man take her.
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.”
8 And the authorities have added to speak to the people and said, Who [is] the man that is afraid and tender of heart? Let him go and return to his house, and the heart of his brothers does not melt like his heart.
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.”
9 And it has come to pass, as the authorities finish to speak to the people, that they have appointed princes of the hosts at the head of the people.
When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.
10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you have called to it for peace,
When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.
11 and it has been, if it answers you [with] peace, and has opened to you, then it has come to pass, all the people who are found in it are for tributaries to you, and have served you.
If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.
12 And if it does not make peace with you, and has made war with you, then you have laid siege against it,
But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.
13 and your God YHWH has given it into your hand, and you have struck every male of it by the mouth of the sword.
When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword.
14 Only, the women, and the infants, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you seize for yourself, and you have eaten the spoil of your enemies which your God YHWH has given to you.
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.
15 So you do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16 Only, of the cities of these peoples which your God YHWH is giving to you [for] an inheritance, you do not keep alive any [that are] breathing;
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.
17 for you certainly devote the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as your God YHWH has commanded you,
For you must devote them to complete destruction —the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,
18 so that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you have sinned against your God YHWH.
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.
19 When you lay siege to a city [for] many days to fight against it, to capture it, you do not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for you eat of them, and you do not cut them down—for the tree of the field [is] man’s—to go in at your presence in the siege.
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?
20 Only, the tree of which you know that it [is] not a fruit-tree, you destroy it, and have cut [it] down, and have built a bulwark against the city which is making war with you until you have subdued it.”
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.
