King James Version

1 When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots, a people more numerous than you, do 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 it shall be when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. 3 And say to them, "Hear, O Israel: You are drawing near today to battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart grow faint; do not fear, and do not hurry, and do not tremble because of them." 4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 5 And the officers spoke to the people, saying, "Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the war and another man dedicate it." 6 And who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not yet consecrated it; let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man consecrate it. 7 And who is the man who has betrothed a woman and has not taken her, let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her. 8 And the officers shall speak to the people and say, “Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, and let him not melt the heart of his brothers like his own heart.” 9 And it will be when the officers have finished speaking to the people, and the commanders of the armies will be at the head of the people. 10 When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall call out to it for peace. 11 And it will be, if you answer with peace and open for you, and all the people found there will be for you as a tax and will serve you. 12 And if you do not make peace with you, and she does war with you, you will besiege her. 13 And the LORD your God will deliver her into your hand, and you shall strike all the males with the edge of the sword. 14 Only the women, the children, the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoils you shall plunder for yourself, and you shall eat the spoils of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16 Only from the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall not let any living soul live. 17 For you shall utterly destroy the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 18 So that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done to their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God. 19 When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them, for you may eat from them and you shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field a man that it should be besieged by you? 20 Only the tree which you know is not a tree for eating, you shall destroy and cut down, and you shall build a siege against the city that is making war with you until it falls.