Deuteronomy 20:18-20
Lexham English Bible
18 so that they may not teach you to do like all their detestable things that they do for their gods and thereby you sin against Yahweh your God.
19 “If[a] you besiege a town for many days to make war against it in order to seize it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them,[b] for you may eat from them,[c] and so you must not cut them[d] down. Are the trees of the field humans that they should come in siege against you?[e] 20 Only[f] the trees[g] that you know are not fruit trees[h] you may destroy and you may cut down, and you may build siege works against that city that is making war with you until it falls.”[i]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 20:19 Or “when”
- Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
- Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
- Deuteronomy 20:19 Hebrew “it”
- Deuteronomy 20:19 Literally “from your face”
- Deuteronomy 20:20 Or “But”
- Deuteronomy 20:20 Hebrew “tree”
- Deuteronomy 20:20 Literally “not a tree of food”
- Deuteronomy 20:20 Literally “it to fall”
Deuteronomy 20:18-20
New International Version
18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,(A) and you will sin(B) against the Lord your God.
19 When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?[a] 20 However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees(C) and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 20:19 Or down to use in the siege, for the fruit trees are for the benefit of people.
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