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19 “If[a] 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,[b] for you may eat from them,[c] and so you must not cut them[d] down. Are the trees of the field humans that they should come in siege against you?[e] 20 Only[f] the trees[g] that you know are not fruit trees[h] 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.”[i]

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 20:19 Or “when”
  2. Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
  3. Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
  4. Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
  5. Deuteronomy 20:19 Literally “from your face”
  6. Deuteronomy 20:20 Or “But”
  7. Deuteronomy 20:20 Hebrew “tree”
  8. Deuteronomy 20:20 Literally “not a tree of food”
  9. Deuteronomy 20:20 Literally “it to fall”

19 “When you are attacking a town and the war drags on, you must not cut down the trees with your axes. You may eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees. Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them? 20 You may only cut down trees that you know are not valuable for food. Use them to make the equipment you need to attack the enemy town until it falls.

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