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 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.

2 and it has been, in your drawing near to the battle, that the priest has come near, and spoken to the people,

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

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,

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;

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 is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you have called to it for peace,

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

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.

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.

12 And if it does not make peace with you, and has made war with you, then you have laid siege against it,

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

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.

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

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

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

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;

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:

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,

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:

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.

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.

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 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:

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.”

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.