Deuteronomy 20

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 “If you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horsemen and chariots, and that the multitude of your adversary’s army is greater than your own, you shall not fear them. For the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, is with you.
2 When you are about to join battle, the priest must come forward and address the people.	2 Then, as the battle now draws near, the priest shall stand before the front ranks, and he shall speak to the people in this manner:
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 ‘Listen, O Israel! Today you engage in a battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with fear. Do not be apprehensive. Do not yield. You should have no dread of them.
4 Yahweh your God is marching with you, to fight your enemies for you and make you victorious."	4 For the Lord your God is in your midst, and he will contend against your enemies on your behalf, so that he may rescue you from peril.’
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 Likewise, the officers shall proclaim, throughout every company, in the hearing of the soldiers: ‘What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may 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 What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not yet caused it to be common, so that all may eat from it? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may carry out his office.
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 What man is there, who has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in battle, and another man may take her.’
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 After these things have been declared, they shall add the remainder, and shall say to the people: ‘What man is there who is overwhelmed by fear and is fainthearted? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he cause the hearts of his brothers to fear, just as he himself has been thoroughly stricken with fear.’
9 'Then, when the scribes have finished speaking to the people, commanders wil be appointed to leadthem.	9 And when the officers of the army have become silent, and have completed their speech, each one shall prepare his unit to wage war.
10 'When you advance on a town to attack it, first offer it peace-terms.	10 When, at any time, you approach a city to fight against it, you shall first offer peace to it.
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 they receive it, and open the gates to you, then all the people who are in it shall be saved, and they shall serve you by paying tribute.
12 But if it refuses peace and gives battle, you must besiege it.	12 But if they are not willing to enter into an agreement, and they begin to act against you in warfare, then you shall besiege 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 will have delivered it into your hands, you shall strike down anyone who is in it, of the male gender, with the edge of 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 not the women and young children, nor the cattle and the other things that are within the city. And you shall divide all the plunder to the soldiers, and you shall eat the spoils from your enemies, which the Lord your God will give to you.
15 'That is how you will treat towns far away and not belonging to the nations near you.	15 So shall you do to all the cities which are at a great distance from you, those which are not among the cities that you shall receive as a possession.
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 among those cities which shall be given to you, you shall not permit anyone at all to live.
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 Instead, you shall put them to death with the edge of the sword, specifically: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite, the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just 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 Otherwise, they may teach you to do all the abominations which they have committed for their own gods. And then you would 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 will have besieged a city for a long time, and you will have encircled it with fortifications, so that you may fight against it, you shall not cut down trees from which one is able to eat, neither shall you cause devastation with axes to the surrounding region. For it is a tree, and not a man. It is not able to increase the number of those who are fighting against you.
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 But if there are any trees which are not fruitful, but are wild, and if these are fit for other uses, then cut them down, and make machines, until you have captured the city that is contending against you.”