Deuteronomy 20

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

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

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

3 and shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared 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 who 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 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.

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 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.

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 What man is there who has pledged to be married to 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.”

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 The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt 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 It shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of 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 draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to 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 It shall be, if it gives you answer of peace and opens to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found therein shall become forced labourers to you, and 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 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 When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it 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, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself. You may use the plunder 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 you shall do to 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 peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save 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: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, 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 not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would 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 its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you?

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 that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

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.