Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 20 ©

1 The priest's exhortation before the battle. 5 The officers' proclamation signifying who are to be dismissed. 10 How the cities that accept or refuse the proclamation of peace are to be treated. 16 The cities of the seven nations are devoted to utter destruction. 19 Trees good for food must not be cut down in the siege.

1

WHEN thou agoest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest bhorses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, cbe not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is dwith thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

a ch. 2.21; 7.1; 25.17,19. Ju. 3.12,28; 11.4,12. 2Sa. 10.2,6. Ps. 33.16,17.
b Jos. 17.18. Is. 31.1.
c v.3,4,8. 2Ch. 13.7,12; 32.7,18. Is. 7.4; 41.10-16. Ps. 118.6; 28.7; 20.7.
d ch. 31.6,8.
2

And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the epriest shall approach and speak unto the people,

e Nu. 10.9; 31.6. Ju. 20.27,28. 1Sa. 14.18. 2Ch. 13.12.
3

And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts 1faint, fear not, and do not 2tremble, fneither be ye terrified because of them;

f v.1. ch. 1.30; 3.22. Is. 41.10,15,16. Ps. 27.3; 3.6. He. 13.6. Ro. 8.31. Pr. 21.30. Ex. 14.14. Ne. 4.20.
4

For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, gto fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

g ch. 1.29,30; 3.22. Jos. 23.10.
5

¶And the hofficers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not idedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he jdie in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

h ch. 16.18.
i Ne. 12.27. Nu. 7.10.
j 2Sa. 11.25. Ac. 20.22.
6

And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet 3eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

7

And kwhat man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

k Pr. 5.18,19. ch. 28.30; 24.5.
8

And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What lman is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart 4faint as well as his heart.

l Ju. 7.3. Ps. 103.13,14.
9

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies 5to lead the people.

10

¶When thou comest nigh unto ma city to fight against it, then nproclaim peace unto it.

m v.15.
n 2Sa. 20.18,19,20. Zec. 9.10. Ep. 2.17. Is. 57.19.
11

And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be otributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

o Ju. 1.28,30. Jos. 16.10. 1Ki. 9.21,22. Le. 25.42,44.
12

And if it will pmake no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

p Ps. 120.7; 68.30.
13

And when the qLORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, rthou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

q Ps. 44.2-4; 18.37-42; 118.10-12. Ex. 23.33. ch. 7.2,4. Pr. 13.14. v.18.
r Nu. 31.7.
14

But the women, and the little ones, and sthe cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou 6take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

s Jos. 8.2; 22.8; 11.14. Nu. 31.9,11. 2Ch. 20.25; 14.13-15.
15

Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

16

But tof the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

t Nu. 21.2; 33.52. ch. 7.1-3,16. Jos. 6.17,25; 8.24; 10.28,40; 11.11,12,14; 9.15.
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:

18

That they uteach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

u Nu. 33.55. Jos. 23.13. Ju. 2.3. ch. 7.4; 12.30,31; 18.9. Ps. 106.34-38.
19

¶When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (7for the tree of the field is man's life ) 8to employ them in the siege:

20

Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for *meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build *bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until 9it be subdued.