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 LORD your God has cut off the nations, whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, 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 shall separate three cities for you in the midst of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess it.

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 shall prepare you a way, and divide the coasts of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

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:

And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso kills his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;

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.

As when a man goes into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the wooden handle, and lights upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

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.

Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

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

Wherefore I command you, saying, You shall separate three cities for you.

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 enlarge your coast, as he has sworn unto your fathers, and give you all the land which he promised to give unto 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 shall keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shall you add three cities more for you, beside these three:

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.

That innocent blood be not shed in your land, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be upon you.

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 hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and strike him mortally that he die, and flees into one of these cities:

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

Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

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.

your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with 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.

You shall not remove your neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in your inheritance, which you shall inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess it.

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 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 the matter be established.

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

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is 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 both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

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 shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and has testified falsely 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 shall all of you do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shall you put the evil away 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 those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any 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.

And your eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.