Deuteronomy 20 :: Bible in Basic English (BBE)

Laws of Warfare

Deu 20:1When you go out to war against other nations, and come face to face with horses and war-carriages and armies greater in number than yourselves, have no fear of them: for the Lord your God is with you, who took you up out of the land of Egypt.

Deu 20:2

Deu 20:2And when you are on the point of attacking, let the priest come forward and say to the people,

Deu 20:3

Deu 20:3Give ear, O Israel: today you are going forward to the fight; let your heart be strong; do not let uncontrolled fear overcome you because of those who are against you;

Deu 20:4

Deu 20:4For the Lord your God goes with you, fighting for you to give you salvation from those who are against you.

Deu 20:5

Deu 20:5And let the overseers say to the people, If there is any man who has made for himself a new house and has not gone into it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not take his house for himself.

Deu 20:6

Deu 20:6Or if any man has made a vine-garden without taking the first-fruits of it, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another may not be the first to make use of the fruit.

Deu 20:7

Deu 20:7Or if any man is newly married and has had no sex relations with his wife, let him go back to his house, so that in the event of his death in the fight, another man may not take her.

Deu 20:8

Deu 20:8And let the overseers go on to say to the people, If there is any man whose heart is feeble with fear, let him go back to his house before he makes the hearts of his countrymen feeble.

Deu 20:9

Deu 20:9Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.

Deu 20:10

Deu 20:10When you come to a town, before attacking it, make an offer of peace.

Deu 20:11

Deu 20:11And if it gives you back an answer of peace, opening its doors to you, then all the people in it may be put to forced work as your servants.

Deu 20:12

Deu 20:12If however it will not make peace with you, but war, then let it be shut in on all sides:

Deu 20:13

Deu 20:13And when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, let every male in it be put to death without mercy.

Deu 20:14

Deu 20:14But the women and the children and the cattle and everything in the town and all its wealth, you may take for yourselves: the wealth of your haters, which the Lord your God has given you, will be your food.

Deu 20:15

Deu 20:15So you are to do to all the towns far away, which are not the towns of these nations.

Deu 20:16

Deu 20:16But in the towns of these peoples whose land the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, let no living thing be kept from death:

Deu 20:17

Deu 20:17Give them up to the curse; the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has given you orders:

Deu 20:18

Deu 20:18So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning against the Lord your God.

Deu 20:19

Deu 20:19If in war a town is shut in by your armies for a long time, do not let its trees be cut down and made waste; for their fruit will be your food; are the trees of the countryside men for you to take up arms against them?

Deu 20:20

Deu 20:20Only those trees which you are certain are not used for food may be cut down and put to destruction: and you are to make walls of attack against the town till it is taken.

The Bible in Basic English was translated by Professor Samuel Henry Hooke (1874-1968)
This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.

Deuteronomy 20 :: Bible in Basic English (BBE)

Laws of Warfare

Pericope