Deuteronomy 19

¹“When the Lord your God will have destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to you, and when you possess it and live in its cities and buildings,

²you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,

³paving the road carefully. And you shall divide the entire province of your land equally into three parts, so that he who is forced to flee because of manslaughter may have a place nearby to which he may be able to escape.

⁴This shall be the law of the killer who flees, whose life is to be saved. Whoever strikes down his neighbor unwillingly, and who has been proven to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before,

⁵such that he had gone with him into the forest simply to cut wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipped from his hand, or the iron slipped from the handle, and it struck his friend and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities stated above, and he shall live.

⁶Otherwise, perhaps the near relative of him whose blood was shed, impelled by his grief, might pursue and apprehend him, unless the way is too long, and he might strike down the life of him who is not guilty unto death, since he had demonstrated that he had no prior hatred against him who was slain.

⁷For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.

⁸And when the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he swore to your fathers, and when he will have given to you all the land that he has promised to them,

⁹(but this is only so if you will keep his commandments and do the things which I instruct to you this day, so that you love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways at all times) you shall add for yourselves three other cities, and so you shall double the number of the three cities stated above.

¹⁰So may innocent blood not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord your God will give you to possess, lest you be guilty of blood.

¹¹But if anyone, having hatred for his neighbor, will have lain in ambush for his life, and, rising up, will have struck him, and he will have died, and if he will have fled to one of the cities stated above,

¹²the elders of his city shall send, and they shall take him from the place of refuge, and they shall deliver him into the hand of the relative of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

¹³You shall not take pity on him, and so shall you take away the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

¹⁴You shall not take up or move the landmark of your neighbor, which those before you have placed, in your possession that the Lord your God will give to you, in the land you will receive to possess.

¹⁵One witness shall not stand against another, no matter what the sin or outrage may be. For every word shall stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

¹⁶If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,

¹⁷both of those whose case it is shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges who shall be in those days.

¹⁸And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,

¹⁹they shall render to him just as he intended to do to his brother. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.

²⁰Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.

²¹You shall not take pity on him. Instead, you shall require a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.”

Deuteronomy 19

¹When the Lord thy God hath destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to thee, and thou shalt possess it, and shalt dwell in the cities and houses thereof:

²Thou shalt separate to thee three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give thee in possession,

³Paving diligently the way: and thou shalt divide the whole province of thy land equally into three parts: that he who is forced to flee for manslaughter, may have near at hand whither to escape.

⁴This shall be the law of the slayer that fleeth, whose life is to be saved: He that killeth his neighbor ignorantly, and who is proved to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before:

⁵But to have gone with him to the wood to hew wood, and in cutting down the tree the axe slipped out of his hand, and the iron slipping from the handle struck his friend, and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities aforesaid, and live:

⁶Lest perhaps the next kinsman of him whose blood was shed, pushed on by his grief should pursue, and apprehend him, if the way be too long, and take away the life of him who is not guilty of death, because he is proved to have had no hatred before against him that was slain.

⁷Therefore I command thee, that thou separate three cities at equal distance one from another.

⁸And when the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he swore to the fathers, and shall give thee all the land that he promised them,

⁹(Yet so, if thou keep his commandments, and do the things which I command thee this day, that thou love the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways at all times) thou shalt add to thee other three cities, and shalt double the number of the three cities aforesaid:

¹⁰That innocent blood may not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord thy God will give thee to possess, lest thou be guilty of blood.

¹¹But if any man hating his neighbour, lie in wait for his life, and rise and strike him, and he die, and he flee to one of the cities aforesaid,

¹²The ancients of his city shall send, and take him out of the place of refuge, and shall deliver him into the hand of the kinsman of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

¹³Thou shalt not pity him, and thou shalt take away the guilt of innocent blood out of Israel, that it may be well with thee.

¹⁴Thou shalt not take nor remove thy neighbour's landmark, which thy predecessors have set in thy possession, which the Lord thy God will give thee in the land that thou shalt receive to possess.

¹⁵One witness shall not rise up against any man, whatsoever the sin or wickedness be: but in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand.

¹⁶If a lying witness stand against a man, accusing him of transgression,

¹⁷Both of them, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.

¹⁸And when after most diligent inquisition, they shall find that the false witness hath told a lie against his brother:

¹⁹They shall render to him as he meant to do to his brother, and thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee:

²⁰That others hearing may fear, and may not dare to do such things.

²¹Thou shalt not pity him, but shalt require life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.