Parallel Bible results for "deuteronomy 20"

Deuteronomy 20

Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB

1 "When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.

2 When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army.

3 He is to say to them: 'Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them.

4 For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.'

5 "The officers are to address the army, 'Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.

6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.

7 Has any man become engaged to a woman and not married her? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man marry her.'

8 The officers will continue to address the army and say, 'Is there any man who is afraid or fainthearted? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers' hearts won't melt like his own.'

9 When the officers have finished addressing the army, they will appoint military commanders to lead it.

10 "When you approach a city to fight against it, you must make an offer of peace.

11 If it accepts your offer of peace and opens [its gates] to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.

12 However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it.

13 When the Lord your God hands it over to you, you must strike down all its males with the sword.

14 But you may take the women, children, animals, and whatever else is in the city-all its spoil-as plunder. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that the Lord your God has given you.

15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations.

16 However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

17 You must completely destroy them-the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite-as the Lord your God has commanded you,

18 so that they won't teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.

19 "When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. You must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you?

20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce food. You may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is waging war with you, until it falls.

Revised Standard Version RSV

1 "When you go forth to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people,

3 and shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them;

4 for the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'

5 Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, 'What man is there that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.

6 And what man is there that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit.

7 And what man is there that has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.'

8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest the heart of his fellows melt as his heart.'

9 And when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.

10 "When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it.

11 And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.

12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;

13 and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword,

14 but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.

16 But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,

17 but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Per'izzites, the Hivites and the Jeb'usites, as the LORD your God has commanded;

18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against the LORD your God.

19 "When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field men that they should be besieged by you?

20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.