Deuteronomy (The Speeches of Moses) - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 194

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THE SPEECHES OF MOSES.

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20-20 SPEECH VI.

?¤i¤¤ nf War. When you go to war with your

enemies, and soo horses and chariots, a. people more numerous than your—

selves, fear them not,——for your EVER- L1v1NG GOD is with you, Who brought you from the land of the Mitzeraim. And when you are preparing for the war, the Priest shall come forward and address the People and say to them, ‘ Listen, Israel l You are now pre-

paring for war with your enemies. Let not your heart shrink. Fear not, nor be startled, nor terrified at them! for your EvER·L1v1NG GOD marches with you,to fight for you against your enemy, and save you. T he Magistrates, also, shall address

What man is there who has built a new house, and not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, for fear he should be killed in the war, and another man should dedicate it. ‘ And what man has planted a

vineyard and has not reaped it? Let him go and return to his home, for fear he should be killed in the war, and another man reap it. ‘And what man is engaged to a

`woman, and has not married her? Let him go and return to his home, for fear he should be killed in the war, and another man marry her.’ The Magistrates shall even add to this address to the People, and ask; ‘ What man fears with a timid

heart? Let him go and return to his house, and not depress the hearts of his brothers, like his own heart. And when the Magistrates have

ceased speaking to the People, then they should appoint oiiioers to the regiments to command the People. When you approach a city to war

against it, you shall propose peace to it; and if they will adopt peace, and open to you, then all the people found in it shall be subject to you, and serve you. But if they will not accept peace with you, but make war against you, then assail them; for your EVER— LIVING GOD has given them into your hands, and destroy all the men by the edge of the sword. The women and children, however, and the cattle, and all that may be in the city, all the booty, you may seize for your- selves, for you may use the booty of your enemies which your EVER- L1v1NG GOD gives to you. When you advance to war with your 21 enemies, and your EvER—L1v1NG GOD gives them into your hand, and you take them captive, and see amongst the captives there is a beautiful woman, and you have a desire for her to take her to yourself as a wife, you shall take her into the sanctuary of your house, and uncover her head, and pare her nails, and she shall put off the clothing in which she was captured, and reside in your house, and weep for her father and mother the space of a month, and after that you can go to her and marry her, and she shall be your wife. But if it then happens that you do not like her, you shall free her for life,—-you shall not sell her for money,~——you shall not treat her as a slave, because you have II I2

degraded her. You must do the same 20 to all the cities afar from you, which are not of cities of these nations here. But in the cities of these Peoples,

that your EvEn—1,1v1Nc Gon has given to you to divide, you shall not preserve a living breath, but devote them ;—-—·—the, Hitites, and the Amorites, and the Cananites, and the Perizites, the Hivites and the ]ebusites,—-—ac- cording to the command of your EvER—L1v1NG GOD. The reason is, so that you may not learn from them to practise all the depravities which they practise against GOD, and thus you would sin against your EVER- L1v1NG GOD. When you besiege a city for a long

period, warring with it to capture it, you shall not destroy the fruit trees by assailing them with the axe, for you can feed from them, therefore you shall not cut them down, for the trees of the field sprang from the ground before you came to the siege. However the trees that you know are not trees for food, you may destroy and fell, and build towers with them against the city which is warring with you, until you subdue it. 16 18 20

1 Vv. 10-14 of Ch. xxi. should come in,las

I now put them, at Ch. xx. v. g, they having been misplaced in to Ch. xx. by some old cier. ?See also note on Ch. xxi. forward.——F. , END OF THE SIXTH ORA'1`l0N•