Deuteronomy 19
1 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, those whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and when you come after them and live in their cities and 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 must select three cities for yourself in the middle of your land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.
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 must build a road and divide the borders of your land into three parts, the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, so that everyone who kills another person may flee there.
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 This is the law for the one who kills another and who flees there to live—anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, and did not previously hate him.
'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 For example, if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his chops with the ax to cut down a tree, and the ax head slips off of the handle and strikes his neighbor and kills him—then that man must flee to one of these cities and save his life.
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 Otherwise the avenger of blood might go after the one who took a life, and in the heat of his anger overtake him, if the distance is too great, strike him and kill him, even though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the 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 Therefore I command you to select three cities for yourself.
therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.
8 If Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has sworn to your ancestors to do, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors;
'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 keep all these commandments to do them, which I am commanding you today—commandments to love Yahweh your God and to always walk in his ways, then you must add three more cities for yourself, besides 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 Do this so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of the land that Yahweh your God is giving you for as an inheritance, so that no bloodguilt may be on 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 anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and mortally wounds him so that he dies, and if he then 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 must send and bring him back from there, and turn him over into the hand of the responsible relative, so 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 must not pity him; instead, you must eradicate the bloodguilt 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 must not remove your neighbor's landmark that they set in place a long time ago, in your inheritance that you will inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.
'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 sole witness must not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any matter that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, must any matter be confirmed.
'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 Suppose that an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing.
'When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostasy,
17 Then both men, the ones between whom the controversy exists, must stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who serve 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 The judges must make diligent inquiries; see, if the witness is 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 must you do to him, as he had wished to do to his brother; and you will remove the evil 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 Then those who remain will hear and fear, and will from then on commit no longer 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 Your eyes must not pity; life will pay 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.
