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.
20:2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest
shall approach and speak unto the people,
20:3 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;
20:4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you
against your enemies, to save you.
20:5 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.
20:6 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.
20:7 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.
20:8 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.
20:9 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.
20:10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim
peace unto it.
20:11 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.
20:12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee,
then thou shalt besiege it:
20:13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt
smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
20:14 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.
20:15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee,
which are not of the cities of these nations.
20:16 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:
20:17 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:
20:18 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.
20:19 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:
20:20 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.
