05:020:001 When thou goest out to battle against thine 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, which
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
05:020:002 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that
the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
05:020:003 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day
unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint,
fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because
of them;
05:020:004 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for
you against your enemies, to save you.
05:020:005 And the officers shall speak unto 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 die in the
battle, and another man dedicate it.
05:020:006 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not
yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house,
lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
05:020:007 And what 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.
05:020:008 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they
shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted?
let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's
heart faint as well as his heart.
05:020:009 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of
speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the
armies to lead the people.
05:020:010 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then
proclaim peace unto it.
05:020:011 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 tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve
thee.
05:020:012 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war
against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
05:020:013 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands,
thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the
sword:
05:020:014 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all
that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou
take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine
enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
05:020:015 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off
from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
05:020:016 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:
05:020:017 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:
05:020:018 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations,
which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against
the LORD your God.
05:020:019 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 (for the tree of the
field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
05:020:020 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 it be subdued.