1 "When you go forth to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them; for YHVH, your god, is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people,
3 and shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them;
4 for YHVH, your god, is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'
This is the battle we must wage with our lower, destructive forces. It is a battle waged within us and must be fought eventually by all those on the Path. Of course, though it is difficult, we have nothing to fear, for God and our Guardian Angels will be there to help us.
5 Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, 'What man is there that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.
6 And what man is there that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
7 And what man is there that has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.'
8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest the heart of his fellows melt as his heart.'
The Bible reminds us that we must be prepared for this battle. Those who are not prepared should prepare themselves before starting.
9 And when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.
10 "When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it.
11 And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.
12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;
13 and when YHVH, your god, gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword,
14 but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which YHVH, your god, has given you.
Of course, not all the ideas, passions and emotions, represented by the inhabitants (ideas) and the cattle (passions and emotions), we find in the unconscious or inner part of ourselves, are negative or harmful. Those that answer in peace, we will find no fault with and they will be able and willing to serve the developing spiritual consciousness.
15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.
16 But in the cities of these peoples that YHVH, your god, gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
17 but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Per'izzites, the Hivites and the Jeb'usites, as YHVH, your god, has commanded;
18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against YHVH, your god,
19 "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; for you may eat of them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field men that they should be besieged by you?
20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Hitties, in Aramaic means terror and dread. Amorites means mountaineers, but it symbolizes the generative function and here indicates the lower lusts and passions. The Canaanites translates as one who exists for material things. Perizzites means demolished, assaulted and defeated. Hivites mean bestiality and wickedness. And finally, Jebusites translates as conquered, contemptuous and profaned. All of these must be completely destroyed whenever they are found within you.