Deuteronomy 19

1 When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God gives thee, and thou succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses,

2 thou shall set apart three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God gives thee to possess it.

3 Thou shall prepare for thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Jehovah thy God causes thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.

4 And this is the case of the manslayer, who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past,

5 as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the helve, and lands upon his neighbor, so that he dies, he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

6 Lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally, whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he did not hate him in time past.

7 Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shall set apart three cities for thee.

8 And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he has sworn to thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give to thy fathers,

9 if thou shall keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk ever in his ways, then shall thou add three more cities for thee, besides these three,

10 that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God gives thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

11 But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and smites him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities,

12 then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him from there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

14 Thou shall not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shall inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God gives thee to possess it.

15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.

16 If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrong-doing,

17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days,

18 and the judges shall make diligent inquiry. And, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,

19 then ye shall do to him, as he had thought to do to his brother. So shall thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

20 And those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.

21 And thine eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.