Going to war
1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: ‘Hear, Israel: today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’
5The officers shall say to the army: ‘Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. 6Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. 7Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.’ 8Then the officers shall add, ‘Is anyone afraid or faint-hearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.’ 9When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
10When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. 11If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labour and shall work for you. 12If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. 13When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. 14As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. 15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. 17Completely destroy20:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them. them – the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites – as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshipping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.
19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?20:19 Or down to use in the siege, for the fruit trees are for the benefit of people. 20However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.
Bestemmelser vedrørende krig
1Når I går i krig og står ansigt til ansigt med fjendens mange heste og stridsvogne og en hær, der er langt stærkere end jeres, skal I ikke lade jer slå ud. Herren, jeres Gud, er med jer. Han er den samme Gud, som førte jer ud af Egypten. 2Men før I rykker frem, skal præsten tale til krigerne og sige:
3‚Hør her, israelitiske mænd! I skal ikke være bange for at kaste jer ud i kampen i dag. 4Herren, jeres Gud, er med jer, og han vil kæmpe på jeres side imod fjenderne og give jer sejr.’
5Derefter skal hærførerne tage ordet og sige: ‚Er der nogen, som netop har bygget sig et hus, men ikke har indviet det endnu? I så fald skal han vende hjem, for hvis han dør i kampen, bliver det en anden, der kommer til at indvi det. 6Er der nogen, som endnu ikke har fået vinhøsten i hus? I så fald skal han vende hjem, for hvis han dør i kampen, kommer en anden til at nyde frugten af hans arbejde. 7Er der nogen som er forlovet? Så tag hjem og gift jer, for hvis I dør i kampen, bliver det en anden, som gifter sig med jeres tilkommende. 8Er der nogen, som er bange for at kæmpe? I så fald skal I vende hjem, så I ikke ved jeres frygt nedbryder hærens moral.’ 9Efter at hærførerne har sorteret den slags mænd fra, skal de udvælge de forskellige befalingsmænd.
10Når I påtænker at storme en by, skal I først give indbyggerne mulighed for at overgive sig. 11Hvis de vælger at overgive sig og åbner portene for jer, kan I gå ind og gøre dem til jeres slaver. 12Men hvis de ikke vil slutte fred, skal I belejre byen, 13og når Herren udleverer byen til jer, skal I slå samtlige mænd i byen ihjel, 14men I kan selv beholde kvinderne, børnene, husdyrene og det øvrige krigsbytte. 15De her retningslinier gælder kun for byer, der ligger langt væk, ikke for byer i det land, som I skal over og tage i besiddelse.
16Inden for landets grænser skal I udrydde alt og alle, I må ikke skåne nogen overhovedet, 17men udslette befolkningen totalt, hittitterne, amoritterne, kana’anæerne, perizzitterne, hivvitterne og jebusitterne, sådan som Herren har befalet. 18På den måde undgår I at synde imod Herren ved at lade jer friste til at deltage i deres væmmelige afgudsdyrkelse.
19Når I belejrer en by, må I ikke ødelægge frugttræerne på stedet. I må spise af frugten, men ikke fælde træerne. Det er jo ikke dem, I kæmper imod. 20De træer, som ikke bærer spiselige frugter, kan I hugge om og bruge til angrebsramper og lignende.
