Laws of Warfare

1When thou shalt go forth to warre against thine enemies, and shalt see horses & charets, & people moe then thou, be not afrayde of them: for the Lorde thy God is with thee, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. 2And when ye are come nere vnto the battel, then the Priest shal come forth to speake vnto the people, 3And shal say vnto them, Heare, O Israel: ye are come this day vnto battell against your enemies: let not your heartes faynt, neither feare, nor be amased, nor adread of them. 4For ye Lord your God goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, & to saue you 5And let the officers speake vnto the people, saying, What man is there that hath buylt a new house, and hath not dedicate it? let him go and returne to his house, least he dye in the battel, and an other man dedicate it. 6And what man is there that hath planted a vineyarde, and hath not eaten of the fruite? let him go & returne againe vnto his house, least he die in the battel, and another eate the fruite. 7And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and returne againe vnto his house, lest he die in the battell, and another man take her. 8And let the officers speake further vnto the people, and say, Whosoeuer is afrayde and faynt hearted, let him go & returne vnto his house, least his brethrens heart faynt like his heart. 9And after that the officers haue made an ende of speaking vnto the people, they shal make captaines of the armie to gouerne the people.

10When thou commest neere vnto a citie to fight against it, thou shalt offer it peace. 11And if it answere thee againe peaceably, and open vnto thee, then let all the people that is founde therein, be tributaries vnto thee, and serue thee. 12But if it will make no peace with thee, but make war against thee, then shalt thou besiege it. 13And the Lord thy God shall deliuer it into thine handes, and thou shalt smite all the males thereof with the edge of the sworde. 14Onely the women, & the children, & the cattel, & all that is in the citie, euen all the spoyle thereof shalt thou take vnto thy selfe, and shalt eate the spoyle of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath giuen thee. 15Thus shalt thou do vnto all ye cities, which are a great way off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations here. 16But of the cities of this people, which the Lorde thy God shall giue thee to inherite, thou shalt saue no person aliue, 17But shalt vtterly destroy them: to wit, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, & the Perizzites, the Hiuites, and the Iebusites, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, 18That they teache you not to doe after all their abominations, which they haue done vnto their gods, & so ye should sinne against the Lorde your God.

19When thou hast besieged a citie long time, & made warre against it to take it, destroy not the trees therof, by smiting an axe into them: for thou mayest eate of them: therfore thou shalt not cut them downe to further thee in the siege, (for the tree of the field is mans life ) 20Onely those trees, which thou knowest are not for meate, those shalt thou destroy and cut downe, & make fortes against the citie that maketh warre with thee, vntil thou subdue it.