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 out to war against other nations, and come face to face with horses and war-carriages and armies greater in number than yourselves, have no fear of them: for the Lord your God is with you, who took you up out of the land of Egypt.

2 And it shall be, when you are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

And when you are on the point of attacking, let the priest come forward and say to the people,

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

Give ear, O Israel: today you are going forward to the fight; let your heart be strong; do not let uncontrolled fear overcome you because of those who are against you;

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 goes with you, fighting for you to give you salvation from those who are against you.

5 And the officers shall speak to 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.

And let the overseers say to the people, If there is any man who has made for himself a new house and has not gone into it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not take his house for himself.

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

Or if any man has made a vine-garden without taking the first-fruits of it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not be the first to make use of the fruit.

7 And what man is there that has betrothed 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.

Or if any man is newly married and has had no sex relations with his wife, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another man may not take her.

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

And let the overseers go on to say to the people, If there is any man whose heart is feeble with fear, let him go back to his house before he makes the hearts of his countrymen feeble.

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

Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.

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

When you come to a town, before attacking it, make an offer of peace.

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

And if it gives you back an answer of peace, opening its doors to you, then all the people in it may be put to forced work as your servants.

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

If however it will not make peace with you, but war, then let it be shut in on all sides:

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

And when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, let every male in it be put to death without mercy.

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 to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

But the women and the children and the cattle and everything in the town and all its wealth, you may take for yourselves: the wealth of your haters, which the Lord your God has given you, will be your food.

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

So you are to do to all the towns far away, which are not the towns of these nations.

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

But in the towns of these peoples whose land the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, let no living thing be kept from death:

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:

Give them up to the curse; the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has given you orders:

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

So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning 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 ax 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:

If in war a town is shut in by your armies for a long time, do not let its trees be cut down and made waste; for their fruit will be your food; are the trees of the countryside men for you to take up arms against them?

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

Only those trees which you are certain are not used for food may be cut down and put to destruction: and you are to make walls of attack against the town till it is taken.