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10 When you come near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it. 11 It shall be, if it gives you a reply of peace and opens to you, then it must be that all the people that are found within shall become slaves to you and they shall serve you. 12 If it will not make peace with you but makes war against you, then you are to besiege it. 13 And when the Lord your God has delivered it into your hands, you are to slay every male there with the edge of the sword. 14 But the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all the spoil within, you are to take to yourself, and you will eat the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. 15 Thus you are to do to all the cities which are far away, which are not the cities of these nearby nations.

16 But of the cities of these people, which the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 But you shall completely destroy them: namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 18 so that they do not teach you to participate in all their abominations, which they have done to their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God.

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10 “When you approach a city to fight against it, you must offer it peace.[a] 11 And then[b] if they accept your terms of peace[c] and they surrender to you,[d] and then[e] all the people inhabiting it[f] shall be forced labor for you, and they shall serve you. 12 But if they do not accept your terms of peace[g] and they want to make war with you, then you shall lay siege against it.[h] 13 And Yahweh your God will give it into your hand, and you shall kill all its males with the edge[i] of the sword. 14 Only the women and the little children and the domestic animals[j] 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[k] cities from you, which are not from the cities of these nations located nearby.[l]

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.[m] 17 Rather, you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites[n] and the Amorites,[o] the Canaanites[p] and the Perizzites,[q] the Hivites,[r] and the Jebusites,[s] 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 20:10 Literally “you should call it for peace”
  2. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “And it will happen”
  3. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “if peace they reply to you”
  4. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “they open to you”
  5. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “and it will happen”
  6. Deuteronomy 20:11 Literally “being found in it”
  7. Deuteronomy 20:12 Literally “not they make peace with you”
  8. Deuteronomy 20:12 That is, the city
  9. Deuteronomy 20:13 Literally “mouth”
  10. Deuteronomy 20:14 Hebrew “animal”
  11. Deuteronomy 20:15 Or “distant”
  12. Deuteronomy 20:15 Literally “here”
  13. Deuteronomy 20:16 Or “is alive”
  14. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Hittite”
  15. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Amorite”
  16. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  17. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  18. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Hivite”
  19. Deuteronomy 20:17 Hebrew “Jebusite”