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 Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, those whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and when you come after them and live in their cities and 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 must select three cities for yourself in the middle of your land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.

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 must build a road and divide the borders of your land into three parts, the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, so that everyone who kills another person may flee there.

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 the law for the one who kills another and who flees there to live—anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, and did not previously hate him.

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 forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his chops with the ax to cut down a tree, and the ax head slips off of the handle and strikes his neighbor and kills him—then that man must flee to one of these cities and save his life.

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.

Otherwise the avenger of blood might go after the one who took a life, and in the heat of his anger overtake him, if the distance is too great, strike him and kill him, even though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past.

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

Therefore I command you to select three cities for yourself.

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,

If Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has sworn to your ancestors to do, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors;

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 all these commandments to do them, which I am commanding you today—commandments to love Yahweh your God and to always walk in his ways, then you must add three more cities for yourself, besides 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.

Do this so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of the land that Yahweh your God is giving you for as an inheritance, so that no bloodguilt may be on 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 anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and mortally wounds him so that he dies, and if he then 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 must send and bring him back from there, and turn him over into the hand of the responsible relative, so 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 must not pity him; instead, you must eradicate the bloodguilt 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 must not remove your neighbor's landmark that they set in place a long time ago, in your inheritance that you will inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.

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 sole witness must not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any matter that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, must any matter be confirmed.

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

Suppose that an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing.

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 men, the ones between whom the controversy exists, must stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who serve 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,

The judges must make diligent inquiries; see, if the witness is 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 must you do to him, as he had wished to do to his brother; and you will remove 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.

Then those who remain will hear and fear, and will from then on commit no longer 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.

Your eyes must not pity; life will pay for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.