Deuteronomy 20

New King James Version

Principles Governing Warfare

20 “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see^(A)horses and chariotsandpeople more numerous than you, do not be^(B)afraid of them; for theLordyour Godis^(C)with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.² So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people.³ And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them;⁴ for theLordyour GodisHe who goes with you,^(D)to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

⁵ “Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: ‘What manis therewho has built a new house and has not^(E)dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.⁶ Also what manis therewho has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it.^7 (F)And what manis therewho is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.’

⁸ “The officers shall speak further to the people, and say,^(G)‘What manis there who isfearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house,^[a]lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’⁹ And so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

¹⁰ “When you go near a city to fight against it,^(H)then proclaim an offer of peace to it.¹¹ And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the peoplewho arefound in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you.¹² Now ifthe citywill not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it.¹³ And when theLordyour God delivers it into your hands,^(I)you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.¹⁴ But the women, the little ones,^(J)the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and^(K)you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which theLordyour God gives you.¹⁵ Thus you shall do to all the citieswhich arevery far from you, whicharenot of the cities of these nations.

¹⁶ “But^(L)of the cities of these peoples which theLordyour God gives youasan inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive,¹⁷ but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as theLordyour God has commanded you,¹⁸ lest^(M)they teach you to do according to all their^[b]abominations which they have done for their gods, and you^(N)sin against theLordyour God.

¹⁹ “When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the fieldisman’sfood.²⁰ Only the trees which you knowarenot trees for food you may destroy and cut down, to build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it is subdued.