Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the limits of thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.

4 And this [is] the case of the slayer, who shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoever killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;

Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:

5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand maketh a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and falleth upon his neighbor, that he dieth: he shall flee to one of these cities, and live:

If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

6 Lest the avenger of blood shall 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.

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

8 And if the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy limits, as he hath sworn to thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give to thy fathers;

And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,

9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three:

and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

10 That innocent blood may not be shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance, and [so] blood be upon thee.

Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

11 But if any man shall hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally, that he dieth, and he shall flee into one of these cities:

If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

12 Then the elders of his city shall send and bring him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

13 Thy eye shall not pity him, but thou shall remove [the guilt of] innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.

You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.

14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in thy inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

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

If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him 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 parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.

18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and behold, [if] the witness [is] a false witness, [and] hath testified falsely against his brother;

The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,

19 Then shall ye do to him, as he had thought to do to his brother: so shalt thou remove the evil from among you.

you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.

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

Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.

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

You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.