Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

When the Lord thy God shall have cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou hast driven them out, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses:

2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess.

Then shalt thou set apart three cities for thyself, in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

3 You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land which the LORD your God causes you to inherit into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there.

Thou shalt put in order for thyself the [way to them], and divide into three parts the territory of thy land, which the Lord thy God will give thee to inherit, and it shall serve, that every man-slayer may flee thither.

4 This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past—

And this is the case of the man-slayer, who shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso smiteth his neighbor without knowledge, when he hath not been an enemy to him in time past;

5 as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood and his hand swings the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

And he that goeth into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron slippeth from the helve, and striketh his neighbor, that he die: this one shall flee unto one of these cities, and live;

6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.

That the avenger of the blood pursue not the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him dead; whereas he deserveth not a judgment of death, inasmuch as he was not an enemy to him in time past.

7 Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.

Therefore do I command thee, saying, Three cities shalt thou set apart for thyself.

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;

And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy boundary, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he hath spoken to give unto thy fathers;

9 and if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways, then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, in addition to these three.

Because thou dost keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk in his ways all the days: then shalt thou add for thyself three cities more, unto these three;

10 This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.

That innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and blood-guiltiness be brought upon thee.

11 But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;

But if any man be an enemy to his neighbor, and he lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he die, and he flee unto one of these cities:

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.

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

13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.

Thy eye shall not look with pity on him; but thou shalt put away the [shedding of] innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

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.

Thou shalt not remove the landmark of thy neighbor, 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.

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

There shall not rise up one single witness against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: upon the evidence of two witnesses, or upon the evidence of three witnesses, must a case be established.

16 If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

If a witness of violence rise up against any man to testify against him for any wrong:

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;

Then shall both the men, who have the controversy, stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, who shall be in those days;

18 and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,

And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, he hath testified a falsehood against his brother:

19 then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

Then shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; and thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

20 Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you.

And those who remain shall hear, and be afraid, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil thing in the midst of thee.

21 Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

And thy eye shall have no pity; but life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.