Deuteronomy 19

1 “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,

After the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he's giving you, and after you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

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

then you are to choose three sanctuary towns in the country that the Lord your God is giving you to own.

3 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.

You are build roads to these towns. Divide the country the Lord is giving you into three sections. This way anyone who kills someone else can easily run to these towns for protection.

4 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—

This is what is to happen when a person accidentally kills someone else without meaning to, and runs to one of these sanctuary towns to save their life.

5 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,

For example, if a man goes to cut wood in the forest with his friend and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the head flies off the handle and hits and kills his friend, he may run to one of these towns to save his life.

6 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;

Otherwise the avenger in his anger might chase after the man and catch up with him and kill him, if it's a long distance. The man would be killed even though he didn't deserve to die, because he hadn't meant to cause any harm.

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

This is the reason why I'm giving this order to choose three sanctuary towns.

8 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—

Should the Lord your God expand your territory, as he promised your forefathers, and give you all the land he said he would,

9 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;

and if you are careful to keep all these commandments I'm giving you today, loving the Lord your God and always following his ways, then you are to choose three additional three sanctuary towns.

10 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.

In this way the blood of innocent people won't not be shed in the country the Lord your God is giving you to own and you won't be responsible for the death of innocent people who aren't guilty of losing their lives.

11 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,

On the other hand, if a man hates someone, hides in wait, and attacks and kills them, and then the killer runs to one of the sanctuary towns,

12 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;

the elders of his home town must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger to be killed.

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

Show him no mercy. You are to eliminate from Israel the guilt of shedding the blood of the innocent, and then all will be well.

14 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.

Don't move your neighbor's boundary marker. It was placed there by your ancestors to mark the land allotment you will receive in the country that the Lord your God is giving you to own.

15 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.

The evidence given by a single witness is not enough to prove a sin or a crime against someone, never mind what offense they are alleged to have committed. The facts must be confirmed by the evidence given by two or three witnesses.

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

If someone falsely accuses another person of a crime,

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

both those involved must come to be judged in the presence of the Lord by the priests and judges who are then in office.

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

The judges shall conduct a full investigation, and if the accuser proves to be a liar who has made false accusations

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

then you must punish the accuser in the same way they wanted to punish their victim. You must eliminate this evil from among you.

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

Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. Then everyone else will hear about it and be afraid, and won't ever do anything so evil.

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

Don't show any mercy. The rule is life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.