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 thou goest out to battle against thy enemies, and thou seest horse, and chariot, people more in number than thou: be not afraid of them; for the Lord thy God is with thee, who brought thee 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 ye 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 he shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye come nigh this day unto the battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and be not downcast, and do not tremble 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 it is who goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to help 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 who hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return unto 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 there who hath planted a vineyard, and hath not redeemed it? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man redeem 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 hath betrothed a wife, and hath 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 yet farther unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, that the heart of his brethren become not as faint 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 appoint captains of the armies at the head of the people.

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

When thou comest nigh unto a city to make war against it, then summon it with words 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.

And it shall be, if it make thee an answer of peace, and open [its gates] unto thee: then shall it be, that all the people that are found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

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 it will not make peace with thee, and wageth war against thee; then shalt thou 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 thy God hath delivered it into thy hands, thou shalt smite 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 may be in the city, all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as booty unto thyself; and thou shalt enjoy the spoil of thy enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

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 shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, 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 thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, shalt thou not let live a single soul.

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 thou shalt utterly devote them; namely, the Hittites, and the Emorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee;

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.

In order that they may not teach you to do in accordance with all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; and ye would thus 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 thou besiegest a city a long time, to make war against it to capture it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them; for of them thou mayest eat, and thou shalt not cut them down, [for man liveth of the trees of the field, ] to employ them in thy 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 those trees of which thou knowest that they are not fruit-trees, thou mayest destroy and cut down; and [thus] thou canst build bulwarks against the city that wageth war with thee, until it be subdued.