¹⁹ 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?^[a]

²⁰ However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees^(A) and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

25 So in the ninth^(A) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works^(C) all around it.

² Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp^(A) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.^(B)

¹⁷ Pharaoh^(A) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps^(B) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.^(C)

⁸ He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works^(A) against you, build a ramp^(B) up to your walls and raise his shields against you.