20:1 When thou goest out to battle against thy 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, who
brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
20:2 And it shall be when ye are come nigh to the battle, that
the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
20:3 And shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day
to 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 to 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
should die in the battle, and another man should 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 to his
house, lest he should die in the battle, and another man should
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 to his house, lest he
should die in battle, and another man should 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
faint-hearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his
brethren's heart should 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 thou comest nigh to a city to fight against it, then
proclaim peace to it.
20:11 And it shall be, if it shall make thee answer of peace,
and open to thee, then it shall be, [that] all the people [that
are] found therein, shall be tributaries to 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 thy
hands, thou shalt smite every male of it 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 of it, shalt thou
take to thyself: and thou shalt eat the spoil of thy enemies,
which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
20:15 Thus shalt thou do to all the cities [which are] very
distant 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 may not teach you to do after all their
abominations which they have done to their gods; so would 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 of it
by forcing an ax 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 [are] not
trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou
shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with
thee, until it shall be subdued.
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