Laws of Warfare

1Whan thou goest out to battayll agaynst thine enemies, and seyst horses and charettes of the people more then thou, be not afrayed of them: for the LORDE thy God which brought ye out of the londe of Egipte, is with the. 2Now wha ye are come nye vnto the battayll, the prest shal steppe forth, & speake to the people, 3and saye vnto the: Heare Israel: Ye go this daye in to the battayll agaynst youre enemies, let not yor hert faynte. Feare not, be not afrayed, ner a drede of them. 4For the LORDE youre God goeth with you, to fyghte for you agaynst youre enemies, yt he maye saue you. 5And the captaynes shal speake to ye people, and saye: Who so hath buylded a new house, and hath not dedicate it, let him go, and byde in his house, that he dye not in ye battayll, and another dedicate it. 6Who so hath planted a vynyarde, and hath not yet made it comen, lett him go, and byde at home, that he dye not in the battayll, and another make it comen. 7Who so hath spoused a wyfe, and hath not yet brought her home, let him go, and byde at home, yt he die not in the battayll, & another brynge her home. 8And the captaines shal speake further vnto the people, and saye: He that feareth and hath a faynte hert, lett him go, and byde at home, that he make not his brethrens hert fainte also, like as his hert is. 9And whan the captaynes haue made an ende of speakinge vnto the people, they shall set the rulers of the hoost before the people in the fore fronte.

10Whan thou commest nye vnto a cite to fight against it, thou shalt offre them peace 11Yf they answere the peaceably, and open vnto the, then shal all ye people yt is founde therin, be tributaries vnto the, and serue ye. 12But yf they wyl not deale peaceably wt the, and wyll warre with the, then besege it: 13and whan the LORDE thy God delyuereth it in to thy hande, thou shalt smyte all the males that are therin, with the edge of the swerde: 14saue the wemen and the children. As for the catell, and all that is in the cite, and all the spoyle, thou shalt take them vnto thy selfe, and eate the spoyle of thine enemies, which the LORDE thy God hath geuen the. 15Thus shalt thou do vnto all the cities, that are very farre from the, and are not of the cities of these nacions. 16But in the cities of these nacions, which the LORDE thy God shall geue the to enheritauce, thou shalt leaue nothinge alyue that hath breth, 17but shalt vtterly destroye the, namely the Hethites, Amorites, Cananites, Pheresites, Heuites, & Iebusites, as the LORDE thy God hath commaunded the, 18yt they teache you not to do all ye abhominacions, which they do vnto their goddes, & so ye to synne agaynst the LORDE youre God.

19Whan thou must lye a longe season before a cite, against the which thou makest warre to take it, thou shalt not destroye ye trees therof that thou woldest hew them downe wt the axe, for thou mayest eate therof: and therfore shalt thou not hew them downe. For it is but wodd vpon the felde, and no man, and can not come & be bullworkes agaynst the. 20But the trees which thou knowest yt me eate not of, those shalt thou destroye, and rote out, and make bullworkes therof, agaynst the cite that warreth with the, tyll thou haue ouercome it.