Deuteronomy 20
20
1If thou go out to war against thy enemies, and see horsemen and chariots, and the numbers of the enemy's army greater than thine, thou shalt not fear them: because the Lord thy God is with thee, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
2And when the battle is now at hand, the priest shall stand before the army, and shall speak to the people in this manner:
3Hear, O Israel. You join battle this day against your enemies: let not your heart be dismayed, be not afraid, do not give back, fear ye them not:
4Because the Lord your God is in the midst of you, and will fight for you against your enemies, to deliver you from danger.
5And the captains shall proclaim through every band in the hearing of the army: What man is there, that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
6What man is there, that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not as yet made it to be common, whereof all men may eat? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man execute his office.
7What man is there, that hath espoused a wife, and not taken her? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he die in the war, and another man take her.
8After these things are declared they shall add the rest, and shall speak to the people: What man is there that is fearful, and faint-hearted? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he make the hearts of his brethren to fear, as he himself is possessed with fear.
9And when the captains of the army shall hold their peace, and have made an end of speaking, every man shall prepare their bands to fight.
10If at any time thou come to fight against a city, thou shalt first offer it peace.
11If they receive it, and open the gates to thee, all the people that are therein shall be saved, and shall serve thee paying tribute.
12But if they will not make peace, and shall begin war against thee, thou shalt besiege it.
13And when the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy hands, thou shalt slay all that are therein of the male sex, with the edge of the sword:
14Excepting women and children, cattle and other things, that are in the city. And thou shalt divide all the prey to the army: and thou shalt eat the spoils of thy enemies, which the Lord thy God shall give thee.
15So shalt thou do to all cities that are at a great distance from thee, and are not of these cities which thou shalt receive in possession.
16But of those cities that shall be given thee thou shalt suffer none at all to live:
17But shalt kill them with the edge of the sword: to wit, the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Chanaanite, the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee:
18Lest they teach you to do all the abominations which they have done to their gods: and you should sin against the Lord your God.
19When thou hast besieged a city a long time, and hath compassed it with bulwarks to take it, thou shalt not cut down the trees that may be eaten of: neither shalt thou spoil the country round about with axes. For it is a tree, and not a man: neither can it increase the number of them that fight against thee.
20But if there be any trees that are not fruitful, but wild, and fit for other uses: cut them down, and make engines, until thou take the city, which fighteth against thee.
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Deuteronomy 20: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Deuteronomy 20
20
Principles Governing Warfare
1“When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see #Ps. 20:7; Is. 31:1horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be #Deut. 7:18afraid of them; for the Lord your God is #Num. 23:21; Deut. 5:6; 31:6, 8; 2 Chr. 13:12; 32:7, 8; Ps. 23:4; Is. 41:10with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. 2So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. 3And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; 4for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, #Deut. 1:30; 3:22; Josh. 23:10to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
5“Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: ‘What man is there who has built a new house and has not #Neh. 12:27dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. 6Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. 7#Deut. 24:5And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.’
8“The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, #Judg. 7:3‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’ 9And so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
10“When you go near a city to fight against it, #2 Sam. 10:19then proclaim an offer of peace to it. 11And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you. 12Now if the city will not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13And when the Lord your God delivers it into your hands, #Num. 31:7you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword. 14But the women, the little ones, #Josh. 8:2the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and #1 Sam. 14:30you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which the Lord your God gives you. 15Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16“But #Ex. 23:31–33; Num. 21:2, 3; Deut. 7:1–5; Josh. 11:14of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, 17but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 18lest #Ex. 34:12–16; Deut. 7:4; 12:30; 18:9they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you #Ex. 23:33; 2 Kin. 21:3–15; Ps. 106:34–41sin against the Lord your God.
19“When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food. 20Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, to build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it is subdued.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.