Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses;

2 then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

You are to have three towns marked out in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.

3 You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.

You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight.

4 Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:

This is to be the rule for anyone who goes in flight there, after causing the death of his neighbour in error and not through hate;

5 If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

For example, if a man goes into the woods with his neighbour for the purpose of cutting down trees, and when he takes his axe to give a blow to the tree, the head of the axe comes off, and falling on to his neighbour gives him a wound causing his death; then the man may go in flight to one of these towns and be safe:

6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

For if not, he who has the right of punishment may go running after the taker of life in the heat of his wrath, and overtake him because the way is long, and give him a death-blow; though it is not right for him to be put to death because he was not moved by hate.

7 This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose.

8 And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,

And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;

9 and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

If you keep and do all these orders which I give you today, loving the Lord your God and walking ever in his ways; then let three more towns, in addition to these three, be marked out for you:

10 Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

So that in all your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, no man may be wrongly put to death, for which you will be responsible.

11 If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

But if any man has hate for his neighbour, and waiting for him secretly makes an attack on him and gives him a blow causing his death, and then goes in flight to one of these towns;

12 the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

The responsible men of his town are to send and take him, and give him up to the one who has the right of punishment to be put to death.

13 You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.

Have no pity on him, so that Israel may be clear from the crime of putting a man to death without cause, and it will be well for you.

14 You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

Your neighbour's landmark, which was put in its place by the men of old times, is not to be moved or taken away in the land of your heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.

15 A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

One witness may not make a statement against a man in relation to any sin or wrongdoing which he has done: on the word of two or three witnesses a question is to be judged.

16 If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,

If a false witness makes a statement against a man, saying that he has done wrong,

17 both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.

Then the two men, between whom the argument has taken place, are to come before the Lord, before the priests and judges who are then in power;

18 The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,

And the judges will have the question looked into with care: and if the witness is seen to be false and to have made a false statement against his brother,

19 you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.

Then do to him what it was his purpose to do to his brother: and so put away the evil from among you.

20 Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.

And the rest of the people, hearing of it, will be full of fear, and never again do such evil among you.

21 You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.