Deuteronomy 20

1 “When your [soldiers] go to fight your enemies, and you see that they have many horses and chariots and that their army is much bigger than yours, do not be afraid of them, because Yahweh our God, who brought your [ancestors safely] out of Egypt, will be with you.

If you will go out to war on enemies your and you will see horse and chariot a people great more than you not you must be afraid from them for Yahweh God your [is] with you who brought up you from [the] land of Egypt.

2 When you are ready to start the battle, the Supreme Priest must stand in front of the troops.

And it will be when draw near you to the battle and he will come near the priest and he will speak to the people.

3 He must say to them, ‘You Israeli men, listen to me! Today you are going to fight against your enemies. Do not be timid or afraid [DOU] or tremble or panic [DOU],

And he will say to them hear O Israel you [are] approaching this day to the battle on enemies your may not be timid heart your may not you be afraid and may not you make haste and may not you be terrified of them.

4 because Yahweh our God will go with you. He will fight your enemies for you, and he will enable you to defeat them.’

For Yahweh God your [is] the [one who] goes with you to fight for you with enemies your to give victory you.

5 Then the army officers must say to the troops, ‘If anyone among you has just built a new house [RHQ] and has not dedicated it [to God], he should go home [and dedicate the house]. If he does not do that, if he dies in the battle, someone else will dedicate the house [and live in it].

And they will say the officials to the people saying who? [is] the man who he has built a house new and not he has dedicated it let him go and let him return to house his lest he should die in the battle and a man another he will dedicate it.

6 If anyone among you has planted a vineyard and has not yet harvested any grapes from it [RHQ], he should go home. If he [stays here and] dies in the battle, someone else will [harvest the grapes and] enjoy [the wine made from them].

And who? [is] the man who he has planted a vineyard and not he has put to use it let him go and let him return to house his lest he should die in the battle and a man another he will put to use it.

7 If anyone among you has become engaged to marry a woman [but has not married her yet] [RHQ], he should go home. If [he stays here and] dies in the battle, someone else will marry her.’

And who? [is] the man who he has betrothed a woman and not he has taken her let him go and let him return to house his lest he should die in the battle and a man another he will take her.

8 “Then the officers must also say, ‘If anyone among you is afraid or timid [RHQ], he should go home, in order that he does not cause his fellow soldiers to also stop being courageous.’

And they will repeat the officials to speak to the people and they will say who? [is] the man fearful and [the] weak of heart let him go and let him return to house his and not it will be melted [the] heart of countrymen his like heart his.

9 And when the officers have finished speaking to the troops, they must appoint commanders [to lead the groups of soldiers].

And it will be when finish the officials to speak to the people and they will appoint commanders of armies at [the] head of the people.

10 “When you come near a city [that is far away] to attack it, first tell the people there that if they surrender, you will not attack them.

If you will draw near to a city to fight on it and you will proclaim to it to peace.

11 If they open the gates of the city and surrender, they all will become your slaves to work for you.

And it will be if peace it will answer you and it will open to you and it will be all the people which is found in it they will become for you forced labor and they will serve you.

12 But if they refuse to [surrender] peacefully, and decide instead to fight against you, your troops must surround the city [and break through the walls].

And if not it will make peace with you and it will make with you war and you will lay siege on it.

13 Then, when Yahweh our God enables you to capture [IDM] the city, you must kill all the men in the city.

And he will give it Yahweh God your in hand your and you will strike down every male its to [the] mouth of [the] sword.

14 But you are allowed to take for yourselves the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else [that you want to take] from the city. You will be allowed to enjoy all the things that belonged to your enemies; it is Yahweh our God who has given those things to you.

Only the women and the little one[s] and the livestock and all that it will be in the city all booty its you will plunder for yourself and you will consume [the] booty of enemies your which he has given Yahweh God your to you.

15 You should do that in all the cities that are far from the land in which you will settle.

Thus you will do to all the cities distant from you very which not [are] any of [the] cities of the nations these they.

16 “But in the cities that are in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, you must kill all the people and all the animals [LIT].

Only from [the] cities of the peoples these which Yahweh God your [is] about to give to you an inheritance not you will let live any breathing thing.

17 You must get rid of them completely. Get rid of the Heth people-group, the Amor people-group, the Canaan people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group; that is what Yahweh our God commanded you to do.

For certainly you will totally destroy them the Hittite[s] and the Amorite[s] the Canaanite[s] and the Perizzite[s] the Hivite[s] and the Jebusite[s] just as he commanded you Yahweh God your.

18 If you do not do that, they will teach you to sin against Yahweh our God and do the disgusting things that they do when they worship their gods.

So that that not they may teach you to do according to all abominations their which they have done for gods their and you will sin to Yahweh God your.

19 “When you surround a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not cut down the fruit trees [outside the city]. You are allowed to eat the fruit from the trees, but do not get rid of the trees, because they certainly are not [RHQ] your enemies.

If you will lay siege to a city days many to fight on it to capture it not you will destroy tree[s] its by wielding on it an axe for from it you will eat and it not you will cut down for ¿ human [is] [the] tree of the field to go from before you in state of siege.

20 You are permitted to cut down the other trees and use the wood to make ladders and towers to enable you to [go over the walls and] capture the city.”

Only a tree which you will know that [is] not a tree of food it it you will destroy and you will cut down and you will build siege work[s] on the city which it [is] making with you war until falls it.