Deuteronomy 19
1 When Yahweh thy God, shall cut off the nations whose land Yahweh thy God is giving thee, —and thou shalt dispossess 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 three cities, shalt thou set apart for thee, —in the midst of thy land which Yahweh thy God is giving thee to possess.
then you are to choose three sanctuary towns in the country that the Lord your God is giving you to own.
3 Thou shalt prepare for thee a way, and shalt divide into three parts the boundary of thy land which Yahweh thy God shall cause thee to inherit, —and it shall be that every manslayer shall flee thither.
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 case of the manslayer, who shall flee thither and live, —Whoso shall smite his neighbour unwittingly, he, not having hated him aforetime;
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 one entereth with his neighbour into a forest, to fell trees, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe, to cut down the tree, and the head flieth off from the handle, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die, he, shall flee into 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 blood redeemer pursue the manslayer because his heart is hot, and overtake him because the way is long, and he smite him so as to take away his life, —he not being worthy of death, seeing that he had not been hating him aforetime.
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 For this cause, am I commanding thee saying, —Three cities, shalt thou set apart for thee.
This is the reason why I'm giving this order to choose three sanctuary towns.
8 But, if Yahweh thy God should enlarge thy bounds, as he sware unto thy fathers, —and should give thee all the land, which he spake of giving unto thy 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 because thou dost observe all this commandment to do it which I am commanding thee to-day, to love Yahweh thy God and to walk in his paths all the days, then shalt thou add unto thee yet three cities, unto 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 may not be shed in the midst of thy land, which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee as an inheritance, —and so shed-blood be upon thee.
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, when any man shall be hating his neighbour, and shall lie in wait for him and rise up against him, and smite him so as to take away his life that he dieth, —and shall then flee 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 shall the elders of his city send and fetch him from thence, —and deliver him into the hand of the blood redeemer that he 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 thine eye shall not look with pity upon him, —so shall thou consume the shedding of innocent blood out of Israel and it shall go well with thee.
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 Thou shalt not move back the boundary of thy neighbour, by which they set bounds at first, —in thine inheritance which thou shall receive in the land which Yahweh thy God is giving thee to possess.
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, with regard to any sin that he may commit, —at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses, must a matter be establish.
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 there shall rise up a wrongful witness against a man, —to answer against him perversely,
If someone falsely accuses another person of a crime,
17 then shall the two men who are at variance stand before Yahweh, —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 lo! if the witness be, a false witness and, falsely, have answered 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 shall ye do unto him as he had thought to de unto his brother, —so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy 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, they who remain shall hear and fear, —and not go on to do again according to this wicked thing, in thy midst:
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 neither shall thine eye 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.
