Deuteronomy Chapter 20

Deuteronomy Chapter 20
1 When thou shalt go forth to war against
thine enemies, and shalt see horses and
chariots, and people more than thou, be
not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God
is with thee, which brought thee out of
the land of Egypt. 2 And when ye are
come near unto the battle, then the priest
shall come forth to speak unto the
people,
3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O
Israel: ye are come this day unto battle
against your enemies: let not your hearts
faint, neither fear, nor be amazed, nor a
dread of them.
4 For the Lord your God goeth with you,
to fight for you against your enemies,
and to save you
5 And let the officers speak unto the
people, saying, What man is there that
hath built a new house, and hath not
dedicate it? Let him go and return to his
house, lest he die in the battle, and
another man dedicate it.
6 And what man is there that hath
planted a vineyard, and hath not eaten of
the fruit? Let him go and return again
unto his house, lest he die in the battle,
and another eat the fruit.
7 And what man is there that hath
betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her?
Let him go and return again unto his
house, lest he die in the battle, and
another man take her.
8 And let the officers speak further unto
the people, and say, Whosoever is afraid
and faint hearted, let him go and return
unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart
faint like his heart.
9 And after that the officers have made
an end of speaking unto the people, they
shall make captains of the army to
govern the people.
10 When thou comest near unto a city to
fight against it, thou shalt offer it peace.
11 And if it answer thee again
peaceably, and open unto thee, then let
all the people that is found therein, be
tributaries unto thee, and serve thee. 12
But if it will make no peace with thee,
but make war against thee, then shalt
thou besiege it.
13 And the Lord thy God shall deliver it
into thine hands, and thou shalt smite all
the males thereof with the edge of the
sword.
14 Only the women, and the children,
and the cattle, and all that is in the city,
even all the spoil thereof shalt thou take
unto thyself, and shalt eat the spoil of
thine enemies, which the Lord thy God
hath given thee. 15 Thus shalt thou do
unto all the cities, which are a great way
off from thee, which are not of the cities
of these nations here.
16 But of the cities of this people, which
the Lord thy God shall give thee to
inherit, thou shalt save no person alive,
17 But shalt utterly destroy them: to wit,
the Hittites, and the Amorites, the
Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the
Hivites, and the Jebusites, as the Lord
thy God hath commanded thee,
18 That they teach you not to do after all
their abominations, which they have
done unto their gods, and so ye should
sin against the Lord your God. 19 When
thou hast besieged a city long time, and
made war against it to take it, destroy
not the trees thereof, by smiting an ax
into them: for thou mayest eat of them:
therefore thou shalt not cut them down to
further thee in the siege, (for the tree of
the field is man’s life)
20 Only those trees, which thou knowest
are not for meat, those shalt thou destroy
and cut down, and make forts against the
city that maketh war with thee, until thou
subdue it.