Deuteronomy 20:19
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 axe against them: for you mayest eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field man's ) to employ in the siege:
ā The Restored Word Bible
Context
17 But you shall utterly destroy them; , the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Yahuah your Elohim has commanded you:
18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Yahuah your Elohim.
19 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 axe against them: for you mayest eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field man's ) to employ in the siege:
20 Only the trees which you knowest that they not trees for meat, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with you, until it be subdued.