Deuteronomy 20

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 'When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater thanyour own, you must not be afraid of them; Yahweh your God is with you, he who brought you out of Egypt.	1 "When you go out to war against your enemies and you 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 up from the land of Egypt, will be with you.
2 When you are about to join battle, the priest must come forward and address the people.	2 "When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and say to the soldiers:
3 He must say to them, "Listen, Israel: today you are about to join battle with your enemies. Do not befaint hearted. Let there be no fear or trembling or alarm as you face them.	3 'Hear, O Israel! Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Be not weakhearted or afraid; be neither alarmed nor frightened by them.
4 Yahweh your God is marching with you, to fight your enemies for you and make you victorious."	4 For it is the LORD, your God, who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.'
5 'The scribes wil then address the people, as follows: "Has anyone built a new house and not yetdedicated it? Let him go home, in case he dies in battle and someone else performs the dedication.	5 "Then the officials shall say to the soldiers, 'Is there anyone who has built a new house and not yet had the housewarming? Let him return home, lest he die in battle and another dedicate it.
6 "Has anyone planted a vineyard and not yet enjoyed its fruit? Let him go home, in case he dies inbattle and someone else enjoys its fruit.	6 Is there anyone who has planted a vineyard and never yet enjoyed its fruits? Let him return home, lest he die in battle and another enjoy its fruits in his stead.
7 "Has anyone contracted to marry a girl and not yet married her? Let him go home, in case he dies inbattle and someone else marries her."	7 Is there anyone who has betrothed a woman and not yet taken her as his wife? Let him return home, lest he die in battle and another take her to wife.'
8 'Final y, the scribes wil say to the people: "Is anyone frightened or faint hearted? Let him go home, incase he makes his brothers faint hearted too!"	8 In fine, the officials shall say to the soldiers, 'Is there anyone who is afraid and weakhearted? Let him return home, lest he make his fellows as fainthearted as himself.'
9 'Then, when the scribes have finished speaking to the people, commanders wil be appointed to leadthem.	9 "When the officials have finished speaking to the soldiers, military officers shall be appointed over the army.
10 'When you advance on a town to attack it, first offer it peace-terms.	10 "When you march up to attack a city, first offer it terms of peace.
11 If it accepts these and opens its gates to you, all the people inside wil owe you forced labour andwork for you.	11 If it agrees to your terms of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people to be found in it shall serve you in forced labor.
12 But if it refuses peace and gives battle, you must besiege it.	12 But if it refuses to make peace with you and instead offers you battle, lay siege to it,
13 Yahweh your God having handed it over to you, you wil put the whole male population to the sword.	13 and when the LORD, your God, delivers it into your hand, put every male in it to the sword;
14 But the women, children, livestock and whatever the town contains by way of spoil, you may take foryourselves as booty. You will feed on the spoils of the enemies whom Yahweh your God has handed over toyou.	14 but the women and children and livestock and all else in it that is worth plundering you may take as your booty, and you may use this plunder of your enemies which the LORD, your God, has given you.
15 'That is how you will treat towns far away and not belonging to the nations near you.	15 "That is how you shall deal with any city at a considerable distance from you, which does not belong to the peoples of this land.
16 But as regards the towns of those peoples whom Yahweh your God is giving you as your heritage,you must not spare the life of any living thing.	16 But in the cities of those nations which the LORD, your God, is giving you as your heritage, you shall not leave a single soul alive.
17 Instead, you must lay them under the curse of destruction: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,Hivites and Jebusites, as Yahweh your God has commanded,	17 You must doom them all-the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites-as the LORD, your God, has commanded you,
18 so that they may not teach you to do al the detestable things which they do to honour their gods: indoing these, you would sin against Yahweh your God.	18 lest they teach you to make any such abominable offerings as they make to their gods, and you thus sin against the LORD, your God.
19 'If, when attacking a town, you have to besiege it for a long time before you capture it, you must notdestroy its trees by taking the axe to them: eat their fruit but do not cut them down. Is the tree in the fieldshuman, that you should besiege it too?	19 "When you are at war with a city and have to lay siege to it for a long time before you capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them. You may eat their fruit, but you must not cut down the trees. After all, are the trees of the field men, that they should be included in your siege?
20 Any trees, however, which you know are not fruit trees, you may destroy and cut down and use tobuild siege-works against the hostile town until it fal s.'	20 However, those trees which you know are not fruit trees you may destroy, cutting them down to build siegeworks with which to reduce the city that is resisting you.