Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD your God shall 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;

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 shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which the LORD your God gives 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 shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which the LORD your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.

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 This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past;

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 as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities and live:

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 avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he did not hate him in time past.

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 command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for yourselves.

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

8 If the LORD your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised 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 if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, besides 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 that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of your land, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be 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 But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into 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 then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

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 shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go 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 shall not remove your neighbor'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.

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 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 every word be 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 If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

If someone falsely accuses another person of a crime,

17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who shall be 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 shall make diligent inquisition: and, look, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely 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 shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you.

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 Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall hereafter commit no more any such evil in the midst of you.

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 Your eyes shall 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.