Deuteronomy 20

1 “When you go out to battle against your enemy, and have seen horse and chariot—a people more numerous than you—you will not be afraid of them, for your God YHWH will be with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it will be, in your drawing near to the battle, that the priest will come near, and speak to the people, 3 and say to them, Hear, O Israel: You are drawing near today to battle against your enemies, do not let your hearts be tender, do not fear, nor make haste, nor be terrified at their presence, 4 for your God YHWH is He who is going with you, to fight for you with your enemies—to save you. 5 And the authorities will speak to the people, saying, Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man dedicate it. 6 And who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not made it common? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man make it common. 7 And who is the man that has betrothed a woman and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man take her. 8 And the authorities continued to speak to the people and said, Who is the man that is afraid and tender of heart? Let him go and return to his house, and the heart of his brothers will not melt like his heart. 9 And it had come to pass, as the authorities finished to speaking to the people, that they appointed princes of the hosts at the head of the people. 10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you will call to it for peace, 11 and it will be, if it answers you with peace, and opens to you, then it will come to pass, all the people who are found in it will be for tributaries to you, and will serve you. 12 And if it do not make peace with you, and make war with you, then you will lay siege against it, 13 and your God YHWH will give it into your hand, and you will strike every male of it by the mouth of the sword. 14 Only, the women, and the infants, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you will seize for yourself, and you will eat the spoil of your enemies which your God YHWH has given to you. 15 So you will do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16 Only, of the cities of these peoples which your God YHWH has given to you for an inheritance, you will not keep alive any that are breathing. 17 For you will certainly devote the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as your God YHWH has commanded you, 18 so that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they did for their gods, and you will have sinned against your God YHWH. 19 When you lay siege to a city for many days to fight against it, to capture it, you will not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for you will eat of them, and you will not cut them down—for the tree of the field is man’s—to go in at your presence in the siege. 20 Only, the tree of which you know that it is not a fruit-tree, you will destroy it, and cut it down, and build a bulwark against the city which is making war with you until you have subdued it.”


Next: Chapter 21

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