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Deuteronomy 20
Lexham English Bible

20 “If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, an army[a] larger that you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt. 2 And then[b] when you approach the battle, then the priest shall come near and speak to the troops. 3 And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, Israel, you are near today[c] to the battle against your enemies; do not lose heart;[d] you shall not be afraid, and you shall not panic, and you shall not be terrified because of them,[e] 4 for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.’ 5 And the officials shall speak to the troops, saying,[f] ‘Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to this house, so that he does not die in battle and another man[g] dedicates it. 6 And who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed it? Let him go and let him return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man[h] enjoys it. 7 And who is the man who got engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and let him return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man[i] marries her.’ 8 And the officials shall continue to speak to the troops, and they shall say, ‘What man[j] is afraid and disheartened?[k] Let him go, and let him return to his house, and let him not cause the heart of his brothers to melt[l] like his.’ 9 And when the officials have finished speaking[m] to the army troops, then they shall appoint commanders of divisions at the head of the troops.

10 “When you approach a city to fight against it, you must offer it peace.[n] 11 And then[o] if they accept your terms of peace[p] and they surrender to you,[q] and then[r] all the people inhabiting it[s] shall be forced labor for you, and they shall serve you. 12 But if they do not accept your terms of peace[t] and they want to make war with you, then you shall lay siege against it.[u] 13 And Yahweh your God will give it into your hand, and you shall kill all its males with the edge[v] of the sword. 14 Only the women and the little children and the domestic animals[w] and all that shall be in the city, all of its spoil you may loot for yourselves, and you may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that Yahweh you God has given to you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the far[x] cities from you, which are not from the cities of these nations located nearby.[y]

16 But from the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance, you shall not let anything live that breathes.[z] 17 Rather, you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites[aa] and the Amorites,[ab] the Canaanites[ac] and the Perizzites,[ad] the Hivites,[ae] and the Jebusites,[af] just as Yahweh your God has commanded you, 18 so that they may not teach you to do like all their detestable things that they do for their gods and thereby you sin against Yahweh your God.

19 “If[ag] you besiege a town for many days to make war against it in order to seize it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them,[ah] for you may eat from them,[ai] and so you must not cut them[aj] down. Are the trees of the field humans that they should come in siege against you?[ak] 20 Only[al] the trees[am] that you know are not fruit trees[an] you may destroy and you may cut down, and you may build siege works against that city that is making war with you until it falls.”[ao]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 20:1 Literally “a people”
  2. Deuteronomy 20:2 Literally “And it will happen”
  3. Deuteronomy 20:3 Literally “the day”
  4. Deuteronomy 20:3 Literally “do not be faint/tender-hearted”
  5. Deuteronomy 20:3 Literally “from their faces”
  6. Deuteronomy 20:5 Literally “to say”
  7. Deuteronomy 20:5 Literally “a man other”
  8. Deuteronomy 20:6 Literally “a man other”
  9. Deuteronomy 20:7 Literally “a man other”
  10. Deuteronomy 20:8 Literally “Who is the man”
  11. Deuteronomy 20:8 Literally “and soft/weak of the heart”
  12. Deuteronomy 20:8 The verb has a causal meaning here
  13. Deuteronomy 20:9 Literally “it will happen as to finish the officials to speak”
  14. Deuteronomy 20:10 Literally “you should call it for peace”
  15. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “And it will happen”
  16. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “if peace they reply to you”
  17. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “they open to you”
  18. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “and it will happen”
  19. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “being found in it”
  20. Deuteronomy 20:12 Literally “not they make peace with you”
  21. Deuteronomy 20:12 That is, the city
  22. Deuteronomy 20:13 Literally “mouth”
  23. Deuteronomy 20:14 Hebrew “animal”
  24. Deuteronomy 20:15 Or “distant”
  25. Deuteronomy 20:15 Literally “here”
  26. Deuteronomy 20:16 Or “is alive”
  27. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Hittite”
  28. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Amorite”
  29. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  30. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  31. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Hivite”
  32. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  33. Deuteronomy 20:19 Or “when”
  34. Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
  35. Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
  36. Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
  37. Deuteronomy 20:19 Literally “from your face”
  38. Deuteronomy 20:20 Or “But”
  39. Deuteronomy 20:20 Hebrew “tree”
  40. Deuteronomy 20:20 Literally “not a tree of food”
  41. Deuteronomy 20:20 Literally “it to fall”
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Deuteronomy 20
English Standard Version

Laws Concerning Warfare

20 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see (A)horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is (B)with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And when you draw near to the battle, (C)the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you (D)to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’ 5 Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. 6 And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not (E)enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. 7 (F)And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’ 8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, (G)‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’ 9 And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.

10 “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, (H)offer terms of peace to it. 11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. 12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13 And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, (I)you shall put all its males to the sword, 14 (J)but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you (K)shall take as plunder for yourselves. And (L)you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. 16 But (M)in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but (N)you shall devote them to complete destruction,[a] the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that (O)they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you (P)sin against the Lord your God.

19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, (Q)you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? 20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 20:17 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
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Deuteronomy 21
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