1 W hen you go forth to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.

¶ When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies and seest horses and chariots and a people more than thou, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2 A nd when you come near to the battle, the priest shall approach and speak to the men,

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

3 A nd shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies. Let not your hearts faint; fear not, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them.

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,

4 F or the Lord your God is He Who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you.

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

5 A nd the officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.

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

6 A nd what man has planted a vineyard and has not used the fruit of it? Let him also return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man use the fruit of it.

And who has planted a vineyard and has not yet eaten of it? Let him also go and return unto his house lest peradventure he die in the battle and another man eat of it.

7 A nd what man has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.

And what man is there that has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go and return unto his house lest peradventure he die in the battle and another man take her.

8 A nd the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, What man is fearful and fainthearted? Let him return to his house, lest his brethren’s hearts faint as does his own.

And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and a coward at heart? Let him go and return unto his house that he not cause his brethren’s hearts to become as his heart.

9 A nd when the officers finish speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders at the head of the people.

And it shall be when the officers have finished speaking unto the people that the captains of the armies shall lead before the people.

10 W hen you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

¶ When thou comest near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.

11 A nd if that city makes an answer of peace to you and opens to you, then all the people found in it shall be tributary to you and they shall serve you.

And it shall be, if it makes thee an answer of peace and opens unto thee, that all the people that are found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

12 B ut if it refuses to make peace with you and fights against you, then you shall besiege it.

And if it will make no peace with thee but will make war against thee, and if thou should besiege it,

13 A nd when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, you shall smite every male there with the edge of the sword.

and if the LORD thy God should deliver it into thine hands, then thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword.

14 B ut the women, the little ones, the beasts, and all that is in the city, all the spoil in it, you shall take for yourselves; and you shall use the spoil of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you.

Only the women and the little ones and the animals and all that is in the city, all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat of the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God has given thee.

15 S o shall you treat all the cities that are very far off from you, that do not belong to the cities of these nations.

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

16 B ut in the cities of these people which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes.

Only of the cities of these peoples, which the LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breathes;

17 B ut you shall utterly exterminate them, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded you,

but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD thy God has commanded thee,

18 S o that they may not teach you all the abominable practices they have carried on for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the Lord your God.

that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they do unto their gods, lest ye should sin against the LORD your God.

19 W hen you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by using an ax on them, for you can eat their fruit; you must not cut them down, for is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?

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 may 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.

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

Only the trees which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that makes war with thee, until it is subdued.