Deuteronomy 20

Laws for War

1When you go to war against your enemies, you might see horses and chariots. Their army might be bigger than yours. But don’t be afraid of them. The Lord your God will be with you. He brought you out of Egypt. 2The priest must come and speak to the army before you go into battle. 3He should say, “Listen, Israel! Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Don’t lose your courage or be afraid. Don’t panic or be frightened. 4The Lord your God goes with you. He will fight for you against your enemies. And he will save you.”

5The officers should say to the army, “Has anyone built a new house but not given it to God? He may go home. He might die in battle. Then someone else would get to give his house to God. 6Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? He may go home. He might die in battle. Then someone else would enjoy his vineyard. 7Is any man engaged to a woman and not yet married to her? He may go home. He might die in battle. Then someone else would marry her.” 8Then the officers should also say, “Is anyone here afraid? Has anyone lost his courage? He may go home. Then he will not cause others to lose their courage, too.” 9When the officers finish speaking to the army, they should appoint commanders to lead it.

10You will march up to attack a city. First, make them an offer of peace. 11They might accept your offer and open their gates to you. If that happens, all the people of that city will become your slaves. They will work for you. 12But they might not make peace with you. They might fight you in battle. Then you should surround that city. 13The Lord your God will give you the city. Then kill all the men with your swords. 14You may take everything else in the city for yourselves. Take the women and children and animals. And you may use these things the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. 15Do this to all the cities that are far away. They do not belong to the nations nearby.

16But leave nothing alive in the cities of the land. This is the land the Lord your God is giving you. 17Completely destroy these people: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. The Lord your God has commanded you to do this. 18Otherwise, they will teach you what they do for their gods. And if you do these terrible things, you will sin against the Lord your God.

19You might surround and attack a city for a long time, trying to capture it. But do not destroy its trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit from the trees. Do not cut them down. These trees are not the enemy. So don’t make war against them. 20But you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees. You may use them to build devices to attack the city walls. You may do this until the city is captured.

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Deuteronomy 20: ICB

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Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 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.

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