Deuteronomy 20
20
Rules of Warfare
1When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people that outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, # Dt 31:6, 8 who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 2It will be, when you approach the battle, that the priest # Nu 10:8–9; 31:6 will approach and speak to the people, 3and he shall say to them, “Hear, O Israel, you approach today to do battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not fear, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them. 4For the Lord your God is He that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, # Dt 1:30; 3:22 to save you.”
5The officers will speak to the people, saying, “What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? # Ne 12:27 Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6What man is there who 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. 7What man is there who is engaged to a woman but has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.” # Dt 24:5 8The officers are to speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? # Dt 1:28; Jdg 7:3 Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart faint as well as his heart.” 9It will be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they must make captains of the armies to lead the people.
10When you come near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it. 11It shall be, if it gives you a reply of peace and opens to you, then it must be that all the people that are found within shall become slaves to you and they shall serve you. 12If it will not make peace with you but makes war against you, then you are to besiege it. 13And when the Lord your God has delivered it into your hands, you are to slay every male there with the edge of the sword. 14But the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all the spoil within, you are to take to yourself, and you will eat the spoil of your enemies, # Jos 8:2; 22:8 which the Lord your God has given you. 15Thus you are to do to all the cities which are far away, which are not the cities of these nearby nations.
16But of the cities of these people, which the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. # Nu 21:2–3; Jos 11:14 17But you shall completely destroy them: namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 18so that they do not teach you to participate in all their abominations, # Dt 12:30–31 which they have done to their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God. # Ex 23:33
19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, in making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy the trees there by chopping them down with an axe, for you may eat from them; and you shall not cut them down, for the tree of the field is not a man in which to lay siege. 20However, you may destroy and cut down only the trees which you know are not fruit trees, so that you may build siege engines against the city that makes war with you until it falls.
Currently Selected:
Deuteronomy 20: MEV
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version
Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.
Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 20
20
1“When you go out to battle against your enemies, and shall see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them, for יהוה your Elohim, who brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim, is with you.
2“And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall come and speak to the people,
3and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: You are drawing near today to battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not fear, or tremble, or be afraid before them,
4for יהוה your Elohim is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
5“And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man 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.
6And who is the man who has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use it? Let him also go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man should begin to use it.
7And who is the man who is engaged to a woman and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’
8“And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Who is the man who is afraid and tender of heart? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brothers faint like his heart.’
9“And it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint commanders of the divisions to lead the people.
10“When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you shall make a call for peace to it.
11“And it shall be that if it accepts your call for peace, and shall open to you, then all the people found in it are to be your compulsory labour, and serve you.
12“But if it does not make peace with you, and shall fight against you, then you shall besiege it,
13and יהוה your Elohim shall give it into your hands, and you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.
14“Only the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you take as plunder for yourself. And you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which יהוה your Elohim gives you.
15“Do so to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16Only, of the cities of these peoples which יהוה your Elohim gives you as an inheritance, you do not keep alive any that breathe,”
17but you shall certainly put them under the ban: the Ḥittite and the Amorite and the Kena‛anite and the Perizzite and the Ḥiwwite and the Yeḇusite, as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you,
18lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their mighty ones, and you sin against יהוה your Elohim.
19“When you besiege a city for a long time by fighting against it to take it, you do not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. If you do eat of them, do not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man to be besieged by you?
20“Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you do destroy and cut down, to build siege-works against the city that is fighting against you, until it falls.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.