Priests and officers in war

20:1 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and seeing horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than you, be not afraid of them for the LORD your God [is] with ya'll , which brought ya'll up out of the land of Egypt.
20:2 And it shall be, when ya'll are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
20:3 And shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, ya'll approach this day to battle against your enemies let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ya'll terrified because of them;
20:4 For the LORD your God [is] he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
20:5 And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man [is there] that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, unless he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
20:6 And what man [is he] that has planted a vineyard, and has not [yet] eaten of it? let him [also] go and return to his house, unless he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
20:7 And what man [is there] that has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? let him go and return to his house, unless he die in the battle, and another man take her.
20:8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man [is there that is] fearful and fainthearted ? let him go and return to his house, unless 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 to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
20:10 When you come near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
20:11 And it shall be, if it make ya'll answer of peace, and open to ya'll , then it shall be, [that] all the people [that is] found therein shall be tributaries to ya'll , and they shall serve ya'll .

Besieging cities

20:12 And if it will make no peace with ya'll , but will make war against ya'll , then you will besiege it
20:13 And when the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you will strike 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, will you take to yourself; and you will eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given ya'll .
20:15 This will you do to all the cities [which are] very far off from ya'll , which [are] not of the cities of these nations.
20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God does give ya'll [for] an inheritance, you will save alive nothing that breathes
20:17 But you will utterly destroy them; [namely], the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites ; as the LORD your God has commanded ya'll
20:18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods ; so should ya'll sin against the LORD your God.
20:19 When you will besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you will not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them for you may eat of them, and you will 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 you know that they [be] not trees for meat, you will destroy and cut them down; and you will build bulwarks against the city that makes war with ya'll , until it be subdued.

Deuteronomy Index || Main Index

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10

Chapter 11 || |Chapter 12 || Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 || Chapter 15 || Chapter 16 || Chapter 17 || Chapter 18 || Chapter 19 || Chapter 20

Chapter 21 || Chapter 22 || Chapter 23 || Chapter 24 || Chapter 25 || Chapter 26 || Chapter 27 || Chapter 28 || Chapter 29 || Chapter 30

Chapter 31 || Chapter 32 || Chapter 33 || Chapter 34