Deuteronomy 20
1. When thou goest out * to battle against thine enemies * , and seest * horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid * of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up * out of the land of Egypt.
2. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh * unto the battle, that the priest shall approach * and speak * unto the people,
3. And shall say * unto them, Hear * , O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies * : let not your hearts faint * , fear * not, and do not tremble * , neither be ye terrified * because of them;
4. For the LORD your God is he that goeth * with you, to fight * for you against your enemies * , to save * you.
5. And the officers * shall speak * unto the people, saying * , 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.
6. And what man is he that hath planted * a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten * of it? let him also go * and return * unto his house, lest he die * in the battle, and another man eat * of it.
7. And what man is there that hath betrothed * a wife, and hath not taken * her? let him go * and return * unto his house, lest he die * in the battle, and another man take * her.
8. And the officers * shall speak * further * unto the people, and they shall say * , What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go * and return * unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint * as well as his heart.
9. And it shall be, when the officers * have made an end * of speaking * unto the people, that they shall make * captains of the armies to lead the people.
10. When thou comest nigh * unto a city to fight * against it, then proclaim * peace unto it.
11. And it shall be, if it make thee answer * of peace, and open * unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found * therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve * thee.
12. And if it will make no peace * with thee, but will make * war against thee, then thou shalt besiege * it:
13. And when the LORD thy God hath delivered * it into thine hands, thou shalt smite * every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
14. But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take * unto thyself; and thou 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 very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16. But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give * thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive * nothing that breatheth:
17. But thou shalt utterly * destroy * them; namely, 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; so should ye sin * against the LORD your God.
19. When thou shalt besiege * a city a long time, in making war * against it to take * it, thou shalt not destroy * the trees thereof by forcing * an axe against them: for thou mayest eat * of them, and thou shalt not cut them down * (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ * them in the siege:
20. Only the trees which thou knowest * that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy * and cut them down * ; and thou shalt build * bulwarks against the city that maketh * war with thee, until it be subdued * .
