Deuteronomy 19

1 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;

When Jehovah thy God hath cut off the nations whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou hast dispossessed them, and dwellest in their cities and in their houses,

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

thou shalt separate three cities for thyself in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.

3 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.

Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the territory of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, so that every slayer may flee thither.

4 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;

And this is the case of the slayer who shall flee thither that he may live: he that smiteth his neighbour unwittingly, whom he hated not previously;

5 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:

as when he goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron slippeth from the handle, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; such an one shall flee unto one of these cities, and live;

6 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.

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, since he hated him not previously.

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

Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thyself.

8 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;

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

9 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:

(if thou keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in his ways continually), then shalt thou add three cities more for thyself to these three,

10 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.

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

11 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;

But if a man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and he flee into one of these cities,

12 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.

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 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.

Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.

14 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.

Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.

15 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.

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

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

If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of an offence;

17 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;

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 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,

and the judges shall make thorough inquiry; and if the witness be a false witness, and he have testified falsely against his brother,

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

then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.

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

And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in thy midst.

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

And thine eye shall not spare: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.