Reformation Directory

2 The exhortacion of the Prieſt when the Iſraelites go to battel 5 The exhortacion of the officers ſhewing who ſhulde go to battel 10 Peace muſt firſt be proclamed 19 The trees that beare frute, muſt not be deſtroyed.

1.WHen ^a thou ſhalt go forthe to warre againſt thine enemies, & ſhalt ſe horſes and charets, and people mo then thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which broght thee out of the land of Egypt.

2.And whẽ ye are come nere vnto the battel, then the Prieſt ſhal come forthe to ſpeake vnto the people,

3.And ſhal ſay vnto them, Heare, ô Iſraél: ye are come this day vnto battel againſt your enemies: ^* let not your hearts faint, nether feare, nor be amaſed, nor adread of them.

4.For the Lord your God ^b goeth with you, to fight for you againſt your enemies, and to ſaue you.

5.¶ And let the officers ſpeake vnto y^e people, ſaying, What man is there that hathe buylt a newe houſe, and hathe not ^c dedicate it? let him go and returne to his houſe, leſt he dye in the battel, and an other man dedicate it.

6.And what man is there that hathe plãted a vineyard, and hathe ^d not eaten of the frute? let him go and returne againe vnto his houſe, leſt he dye in the battel, & another eat the frute.

7.And what man is there that hathe betrothed a wife, and hathe not taken her? let him go and returne againe vnto his houſe, leſt he dye in battel, and another man take her.

8.And let the officers ſpeake further vnto the people, & ſay, ^* Whoſoeuer is afraid and faint hearted, let him go and returne vnto his houſe, leſt his brethrens heart faint like his heart:

9.And after y^t the officers haue made an end of ſpeaking vnto the people, thei ſhal make captaines of the armie to gouerne the people.

10.¶ When thou comeſt nere vnto a citie to fight againſt it, ^* thou ſhalt offer it peace.

11.And if it anſwer thee againe ^e peaceably, and open vnto thee, then let all the people that is founde therein, be tributaries vnto thee, and ſerue thee.

12.But if it wil make no peace with thee, but make warre againſt thee, then thou ſhalt beſiege it.

13.And the Lord thy God ſhal deliuer it into thine hands, and thou ſhalt ſmite all the males thereof with the edge of the ſworde.

14.Onely the women, and the children, ^* and the cattel, and all that is in the citie, euen all the ſpoile thereof ſhalt thou take vnto thy ſelf, and ſhalt eat the ſpoile of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hathe giuen thee.

15.Thus ſhalt thou do vnto all the cities, which are a great way of from thee, which are not of the cities of theſe ^f nacions here.

16.But of y^e cities of this people, which the Lord thy God ſhal giue thee to inherit, thou ſhalt ſaue no perſone aliue,

17.But ſhalt vtterly deſtroye them: to wit, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, & the Perizzites, the Hiuites, and the Iebuſites, as the Lord thy God hathe commanded thee,

18.That they teache you not to do after all their abominacions, which thei haue done vnto their gods, and ſo ye ſhulde ſinne againſt the Lord your God.

19.¶ When thou haſt beſieged a citie long time, and made warre againſt it to take it, deſtroye not the trees thereof, by ſmiting an axe into them: for thou maieſt eat of them: therefore thou ſhalt not cut them downe to further thee in the ſiege (for the ^g tre of the field is mans life)

20.Onely thoſe trees, which thou knoweſt are not for meat, thoſe ſhalt thou deſtroye & cut downe, and make fortes againſt the citie that maketh warre with thee, vntil thou ſubdue it.

Deuteronomy 20

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