Deuteronomy 19

1 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;

'When Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses,

2 You shall separate three cities for you in the midst of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess it.

three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.

3 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.

Thou dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.

4 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;

'And this [is] the matter of the man-slayer who fleeth thither, and hath lived: He who smiteth his neighbour unknowingly, and is not hating him heretofore,

5 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:

even he who cometh in with his neighbour into a forest to hew wood, and his hand hath driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron hath slipped from the wood, and hath met his neighbour, and he hath died — he doth flee unto one of these cities, and hath lived,

6 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.

lest the redeemer of blood pursue after the man-slayer when his heart is hot, and hath overtaken him (because the way is great), and hath smitten him — the life, and he hath no sentence of death, for he is not hating him heretofore;

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

therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.

8 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;

'And if Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to thy fathers —

9 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:

when thou keepest all this command to do it, which I am commanding thee to-day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in His ways all the days — then thou hast added to thee yet three cities to these three;

10 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.

and innocent blood is not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee — an inheritance, and there hath been upon thee blood.

11 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:

'And when a man is hating his neighbour, and hath lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and smitten him — the life, and he hath died, and he hath fled unto 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.

then the elders of his city have sent and taken him from thence, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he hath died;

13 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.

thine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.

14 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.

'Thou dost not remove a border of thy neighbour, which they of former times have made, in thine inheritance, which thou dost inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.

15 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.

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

16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

'When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostasy,

17 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;

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

18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother;

and the judges have searched diligently, and lo, the witness [is] a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified against his brother:

19 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.

'Then ye have done to him as he devised to do to his brother, and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst,

20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

and those who are left do hear and fear, and add not to do any more according to this evil thing in thy midst;

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

and thine eye doth not pity — life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.