Rules for War

20 “When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours,^(A) do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,^(B) is with you. ² When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army.^{(C) 3} He is to say to them, ‘Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be cowardly. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them. ⁴ For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you^(D) against your enemies to give you victory.’

⁵ “The officers are to address the army, ‘Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. ⁶ Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit?^[a] Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.^{[b] 7} Has any man become engaged to a woman and not married her? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man marry her.’ ⁸ The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers won’t lose heart as he did.’^{[c](E) 9} When the officers have finished addressing the army, they will appoint military commanders to lead it.

¹⁰ “When you approach a city to fight against it, make an offer of peace. ¹¹ If it accepts your offer of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.^{(F) 12} However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it. ¹³ When the Lord your God hands it over to you, strike down all its males with the sword.^{(G) 14} But you may take the women, dependents, animals, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—as plunder. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that the Lord your God has given you. ¹⁵ This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations. ¹⁶ However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. ¹⁷ You must completely destroy them—the Hethite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite—as the Lord your God has commanded you, ¹⁸ so that they won’t teach you to do all the detestable acts they do for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.^(H)

¹⁹ “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? ²⁰ But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce food. You may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.

The Source of Life

22 Then he showed me the river^[a] of the water of life,^(A) clear as crystal,^(B) flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb^{(C) 2} down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month.^(D) The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations,^{(E) 3} and there will no longer be any curse.^(F) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face,^(G) and his name will be on their foreheads.^{(H) 5} Night will be no more;^(I) people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light,^(J) and they will reign forever and ever.

The Time Is Near

⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are faithful^[b] and true.^(K) The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,^[c] has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”^(L)

⁷ “Look, I am coming soon!^(M) Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”^(N)

⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. ⁹ But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” ^(O)

¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.^{(P) 11} Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; let the holy still be holy.”^(Q)

¹² “Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me^(R) to repay each person according to his work.^{(S) 13} I am the Alpha and the Omega, ^(T) the first and the last,^(U) the beginning and the end.^(V)

¹⁴ “Blessed ^(W) are those who wash their robes,^[d] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, ^(X) the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.^(Y)

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root^(Z) and descendant of David,^(AA) the bright morning star.”^(AB)

¹⁷ Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.^(AC)

¹⁸ I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book.^(AD)

²⁰ He who testifies about these things^(AE) says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!^(AF)

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus^[e] be with everyone.^[f] Amen.^[g]