Deuteronomy 20

¹ Who is a man that spowside a wijf, and took not hir bi fleischli knowyng? go he, and turne ayen in to his hows, lest perauenture he die in batel, and anothir man take hir. ² Whanne these thingis ben seid, thei schulen adde othere thingis, and schulen speke to the peple, Who is a ferdful man, and of gastful herte? go he, and turne ayen in to his hows, lest he make the hertis of his britheren for to drede, as he is agast bi drede. 3 And whanne the duykis of the oost ben stille, and han maad ende of speking, ech of the princis and cheuenteyns of the oost schal make redie his cumpeneyes to batel. ⁴ If ony tyme thou schalt go to a citee to ouercome it, first thou schalt profire pees to it profre pees to il, that is vndurstondun of citees without the lond of biheest. . ⁵ If the citee resseyueth, and openeth to thee the yatis, al the puple that is ther ynne schal be saued, and schal serue thee vndur tribut. ⁶ Sotheli if they nylen make boond of pees, and bigynnen batel ayens thee, thou schalt fiyte ayens it. ⁷ And whanne thi Lord God hath bitake it in thin hond, thou schalt smyte bi the scharpnesse of swerd al thing of male kynde which is ther ynne, ⁸ with out wymmen, and yonge children, beestis and othere thingis that ben in the citee. Thou schalt departe al the prey to the oost, and thou schalt ete of the spuylis of thin enemyes, whiche spuylis thi Lord God yaf to thee. ⁹ Thus thou schalt do to alle the citees, that ben ful fer fro thee, and ben not of these citees which thou schalt take in to possessioun. ¹⁰ Sotheli of these citees that schulen be youun to thee, thou schalt not suffre eny to lyue, ¹¹ but thou schalt sle bi the scharpnesse of swerd; that is to seie, Ethei, and Ammorrey, and Cananei, Ferezei, Euey, and Jebusei, as thi Lord God comaundide to thee; 12 lest perauenture thei techen you to do alle abhomynaciouns, whiche thei wrouyten to her goddis, and ye doon synne ayens youre Lord God. 13 Whanne thou hast bisegid a citee in myche tyme, and hast cumpassid with strengthingis that thou ouercome it, thou schalt not kitte doun trees, of whiche me may ete, nether thou schalt waste the cuntrey bi cumpas with axis; for it is a tree, and not man, nether it may encresse the noumbre of fiyteris ayens thee. 14 Forsothe if onye ben not appil trees, but of the feeld, and ben able in to othere vsis, kitte doun, and make thou engynes, til thou take the citee that fiytith ayens thee. ¹⁶ Whanne the careyn of a man slayn is foundun in the lond which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee, and the gilti of sleyng is vnknowun, 17 the grettere men in birthe and thi iugis schulen go out, and schulen mete fro the place of the careyn the spaces of alle citees bi cumpas; ¹⁸ and the eldre men of that citee, which thei seen to be neer than othere, schulen take of the droue a cow calf, that drow not yok, nether kittide the erthe with a schar; ¹⁹ and thei schulen lede that cow calf to a scharp valey, and ful of stoonys, that was neuere erid, nether resseyuede seed; and in that valey thei schulen kitte the heed of the cow calf. 20 And the preestis, the sones of Leuy, schulen neiye, whiche thi Lord God chees, that thei mynystre to hym, and blesse in his name, and al the cause hange at the word of hem; and what euer thing is cleene ethir vncleene, be demed.