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Berean Standard Bible

Deuteronomy 20:19

“When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?”
Deuteronomy 20:19 verse artwork: When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture…
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In context

17For you must devote them to complete destruction —the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,

18So that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.

19When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?

20But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.

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Berean Standard Bible · A modern, readable English translation. Public domain (CC0).