Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version 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? New Living Translation “When you are attacking a town and the war drags on, you must not cut down the trees with your axes. You may eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees. Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them? English Standard Version “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? Berean Standard Bible 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? King James Bible When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege: New King James Version “When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food. New American Standard Bible “When you besiege a city for a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, so you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a human, that it should be besieged by you? NASB 1995 “When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you? NASB 1977 “When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you? Legacy Standard Bible “If you besiege a city for many days, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you? Amplified Bible “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its [fruit-bearing] trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged (destroyed) by you? Christian Standard Bible “When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. Do not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you? Holman Christian Standard Bible When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. You must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you? American Standard Version When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? Contemporary English Version When you are attacking a town, don't chop down its fruit trees, not even if you have had the town surrounded for a long time. Fruit trees aren't your enemies, and they produce food that you can eat, so don't cut them down. English Revised Version When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? GOD'S WORD® Translation This is what you must do whenever you blockade a city for a long time in order to capture it in war. Don't harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit. Never cut those trees down, because the trees of the field are not people you have come to blockade. Good News Translation "When you are trying to capture a city, do not cut down its fruit trees, even though the siege lasts a long time. Eat the fruit, but do not destroy the trees; the trees are not your enemies. International Standard Version "When you attack a city and have to fight against it for many days, don't destroy its trees by cutting them down with an ax. You may eat from them, but you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human beings, that you would come and attack them? Majority Standard Bible 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? NET Bible If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, you must not chop down its trees, for you may eat fruit from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it! New Heart English Bible When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of you? Webster's Bible Translation When thou shalt besiege a city a long time in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees of it by forcing an ax against them; for thou mayest eat of them: and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege: World English Bible When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you? Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionWhen you lay siege to a city [for] many days to fight against it, to capture it, you do not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for you eat of them, and you do not cut them down—for the tree of the field [is] man’s—to go in at your presence in the siege. Young's Literal Translation When thou layest siege unto a city many days, to fight against it, to capture it, thou dost not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for of them thou dost eat, and them thou dost not cut down -- for man's is the tree of the field -- to go in at thy presence in the siege. Smith's Literal Translation When thou shalt besiege against a city many days to war against it, to capture it, thou shalt not destroy its wood to thrust an axe upon it; for from it thou shalt eat: and thou shalt not cut it down; for the man the tree of the field, to go from before thee into the fortress. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleWhen thou hast besieged a city a long time, and hath compassed it with bulwarks to take it, thou shalt not cut down the trees that may be eaten of, neither shalt thou spoil the country round about with axes: for it is a tree, and not a man, neither can it increase the number of them that fight against thee. Catholic Public Domain Version When you will have besieged a city for a long time, and you will have encircled it with fortifications, so that you may fight against it, you shall not cut down trees from which one is able to eat, neither shall you cause devastation with axes to the surrounding region. For it is a tree, and not a man. It is not able to increase the number of those who are fighting against you. New American Bible When you are at war with a city and have to lay siege to it for a long time before you capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human beings, that they should be included in your siege? New Revised Standard Version If you besiege a town for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you? Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleWhen you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees, nor wield an axe against them; because you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the trees of the field are not like men to flee from before you at the time of the siege). Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And when you besiege a town for many days to fight against it and to conquer it, you shall not destroy its trees and do not lift up iron on them and cut them down, because you eat from them, for the trees of the field are not like a son of man so that they will flee from before you in trouble: OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? Brenton Septuagint Translation And if thou shouldest besiege a city many days to prevail against it by war to take it, thou shalt not destroy its trees, by applying an iron tool to them, but thou shalt eat of it, and shalt not cut it down: Is the tree that is in the field a man, to enter before thee into the work of the siege? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Laws of Warfare…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.… Cross References Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Leviticus 19:23-25 When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten. / In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD. / But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God. Isaiah 55:12-13 You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. / Instead of the thornbush, the cypress will grow, and instead of the brier, the myrtle will spring up; this will make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign, never to be destroyed.” Ezekiel 47:12 Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. / He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit. Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. Psalm 104:16-17 The trees of the LORD have their fill, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted, / where the birds build their nests; the stork makes her home in the cypresses. Proverbs 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed. Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Matthew 7:17-20 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. / A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. / Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ... Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. Luke 6:43-44 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. / For each tree is known by its own fruit. Indeed, figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor grapes from brambles. Romans 11:17-24 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, / do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. / You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ... Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, / gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Treasury of Scripture When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an ax against them: for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege: thou shalt not Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Matthew 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves… Matthew 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. for the tree, etc. Deuteronomy 26:6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: to employ, etc. Jump to Previous Ax Axe Besiege Besieged City Cut Destroy Eat Employ Life Making Mayest Siege Thereof Time Tree Trees War WieldingJump to Next Ax Axe Besiege Besieged City Cut Destroy Eat Employ Life Making Mayest Siege Thereof Time Tree Trees War WieldingDeuteronomy 20 1. The priest's exhortation to encourage the people to battle5. The officers' proclamation of who are to be dismissed from the war 10. How to use the cities that accept or refuse the proclamation of peace 16. What cities must be devoted 19. Trees must not be destroyed in the siege When you lay siege to a city The phrase "lay siege" comes from the Hebrew word "צור" (tsur), which means to encircle or confine. In ancient warfare, sieges were common as armies sought to cut off a city from supplies and reinforcements. This context highlights the strategic patience and determination required in warfare, reflecting the broader spiritual principle of perseverance in the face of challenges. 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 of the field human that they should be besieged by you? Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Whenכִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction you lay siege תָצ֣וּר (ṯā·ṣūr) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 6696: To confine, bind, besiege to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to a city עִיר֩ (‘îr) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5892: Excitement for an extended רַבִּ֜ים (rab·bîm) Adjective - masculine plural Strong's 7227: Much, many, great time יָמִ֨ים (yā·mîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 3117: A day while fighting לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם (lə·hil·lā·ḥêm) Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct Strong's 3898: To feed on, to consume, to battle against it עָלֶ֣יהָ (‘ā·le·hā) Preposition | third person feminine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against to capture it, לְתָפְשָׂ֗הּ (lə·ṯā·p̄ə·śāh) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular Strong's 8610: To manipulate, seize, chiefly to capture, wield, to overlay, to use unwarrantably you must not לֹֽא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no destroy תַשְׁחִ֤ית (ṯaš·ḥîṯ) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin its trees עֵצָהּ֙ (‘ê·ṣāh) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood by putting לִנְדֹּ֤חַ (lin·dō·aḥ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 5080: To impel, thrust, banish an ax גַּרְזֶ֔ן (gar·zen) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1631: An axe to them, עָלָיו֙ (‘ā·lāw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against because כִּ֚י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction you can eat their fruit. תֹאכֵ֔ל (ṯō·ḵêl) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 398: To eat You must not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no cut them down. תִכְרֹ֑ת (ṯiḵ·rōṯ) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant Are the trees עֵ֣ץ (‘êṣ) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood of the field הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה (haś·śā·ḏeh) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7704: Field, land human, הָֽאָדָם֙ (hā·’ā·ḏām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being that you should besiege them? בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃ (bam·mā·ṣō·wr) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4692: Something hemming in, a mound, a siege, distress, a fastness Links Deuteronomy 20:19 NIVDeuteronomy 20:19 NLT Deuteronomy 20:19 ESV Deuteronomy 20:19 NASB Deuteronomy 20:19 KJV Deuteronomy 20:19 BibleApps.com Deuteronomy 20:19 Biblia Paralela Deuteronomy 20:19 Chinese Bible Deuteronomy 20:19 French Bible Deuteronomy 20:19 Catholic Bible OT Law: Deuteronomy 20:19 When you shall besiege a city (Deut. 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