Deuteronomy 19

1 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,

“When your God YHWH cuts off the nations whose land your God YHWH is giving to you, and you have dispossessed them, and dwelt in their cities and in their houses,

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

you separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which your God YHWH is giving to you to possess it.

3 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.

You prepare the way for yourself, and have divided into three parts the border of your land which your God YHWH causes you to inherit, and it has been for the fleeing there of every manslayer.

4 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;

And this [is] the matter of the manslayer who flees there, and has lived: he who strikes his neighbor unknowingly, and is not hating him before—

5 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;

even he who comes into a forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand has driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron has slipped from the wood, and has met his neighbor, and he has died—he flees to one of these cities, and has lived,

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, since he hated him not previously.

lest the redeemer of blood pursue after the manslayer when his heart is hot and has overtaken him, because the way is great, and has struck his life, and he has no sentence of death, for he is not hating him before;

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

therefore I am commanding you, saying, You separate three cities for yourself.

8 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

And if your God YHWH enlarges your border, as He has sworn to your fathers, and has given to you all the land which He has spoken to give to your fathers—

9 (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,

when you keep all this command to do it, which I am commanding you today, to love your God YHWH and to walk in His ways [for] all the days—then you have added three more cities for yourself to these three;

10 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.

and [do this] lest innocent blood is shed in the midst of your land which your God YHWH is giving to you [for] an inheritance, and there has been blood on you.

11 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,

And when a man is hating his neighbor, and has lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and struck his life, and he has died, then he has fled to one of these cities,

12 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.

and [the] elderly of his city have sent and taken him from there, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he has died;

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

your eye has no pity on him, and you have put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with you.

14 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.

You do not remove a border of your neighbor, which they of former times have made, in your inheritance, which you inherit in the land which your God YHWH is giving to you to possess it.

15 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.

One witness does not rise against a man for any iniquity and for any sin, in any sin which he sins; by the mouth of two witnesses or by the mouth of three witnesses is a thing established.

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

When a violent witness rises against a man to testify against him apostasy,

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;

then both of the men who have the strife have stood before YHWH, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,

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

and the judges have searched diligently, and behold, the witness [is] a false witness who has testified a falsehood against his brother,

19 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.

then you have done to him as he devised to do to his brother, and you have put away evil out of your midst,

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

and those who are left hear and fear, and do not add to do according to this evil thing in your midst anymore.

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

And your eye does not pity—life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”