Deuteronomy 19

1 Whanne thi Lord God hath distried the folkis, whose lond he schal yyue to thee, and thou hast weldid it, and hast dwellid in the citees and housis therof;

When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses;

2 thou schalt departe thre citees to thee `in the myddis of the lond which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee into possessioun.

You are to have three towns marked out in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.

3 Thou schalt make redi diligentli the weye, and thou schalt departe euenly in to thre partis al the prouynce of thi lond, that he that is exilid for mansleyng, haue `of nyy whidur he may ascape.

You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight.

4 This schal be the lawe of a mansleere fleynge, whos lijf schal be kept. If a man smytith vnwityngli his neiybore, and which is preuyd to haue not had ony hatered ayens hym yistirdai and the thridde dai agoon,

This is to be the rule for anyone who goes in flight there, after causing the death of his neighbour in error and not through hate;

5 but to haue go sympli with hym in to the wode to hewe doun trees, and in the fellyng doun of trees the axe fleeth fro the hond, and the yrun slidith fro the helue, and smytith, and sleeth his freend; this man schal flee to oon of the forseid citees, and schal lyue;

For example, if a man goes into the woods with his neighbour for the purpose of cutting down trees, and when he takes his axe to give a blow to the tree, the head of the axe comes off, and falling on to his neighbour gives him a wound causing his death; then the man may go in flight to one of these towns and be safe:

6 lest perauenture the next kynesman of hym, whos blood is sched out, be prickid with sorewe, and `pursue, and take hym, if the weie is lengere, and smyte `the lijf of hym which is not gilti of deeth; for it is schewid that he hadde not ony hatered bifore ayens hym that is slayn.

For if not, he who has the right of punishment may go running after the taker of life in the heat of his wrath, and overtake him because the way is long, and give him a death-blow; though it is not right for him to be put to death because he was not moved by hate.

7 Therfor Y comaunde to thee, that thou departe thre citees of euene space bitwixe hem silf.

And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose.

8 Forsothe whanne thi Lord God hath alargid thi termes, as he swoor to thi fadris, and hath youe to thee al the lond which he bihiyte to hem; if netheles thou kepist hise comaundementis,

And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;

9 and doist tho thingis whiche Y comaunde to thee to day, that thou loue thi Lord God, and go in hise weies in al tyme, thou schalt adde to thee thre othere citees, and thou schalt double the noumbre of the forseid citees,

If you keep and do all these orders which I give you today, loving the Lord your God and walking ever in his ways; then let three more towns, in addition to these three, be marked out for you:

10 that gilteles blood be not sched out in the myddis of the lond which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee to haue in possessioun, lest thou be gilti of blood.

So that in all your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, no man may be wrongly put to death, for which you will be responsible.

11 Forsothe if ony man hatith his neiybore, and settith aspies, `ether tresouns, to his lijf, and risith, and smytith him, and he is deed, and he fleeth to oon of the forseid citees,

But if any man has hate for his neighbour, and waiting for him secretly makes an attack on him and gives him a blow causing his death, and then goes in flight to one of these towns;

12 the eldere men of that citee schulen sende, and `thei schulen take hym fro the place of refuyt; and thei schulen bitake hym in to the hond of the nexte kynesman of hym, whos blood is sched out,

The responsible men of his town are to send and take him, and give him up to the one who has the right of punishment to be put to death.

13 and he schal die, and thou schalt not haue mercy on hym; and thou schalt do awey gilti blood fro Israel, that it be wel to thee.

Have no pity on him, so that Israel may be clear from the crime of putting a man to death without cause, and it will be well for you.

14 Thou schalt not take, and turne ouer the termes of thi neiybore, which the formere men settiden in thi possessioun, which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee in the lond, `which lond thou schalt take `to be weldid.

Your neighbour's landmark, which was put in its place by the men of old times, is not to be moved or taken away in the land of your heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.

15 O witnesse schal not stonde ayens ony man, what euer thing it is of synne and of wickidnesse; but ech word schal stonde in the mouth of tweyne ethir of thre witnessis.

One witness may not make a statement against a man in relation to any sin or wrongdoing which he has done: on the word of two or three witnesses a question is to be judged.

16 If a fals witnesse stondith ayens a man, and accusith hym of brekyng of the lawe, bothe,

If a false witness makes a statement against a man, saying that he has done wrong,

17 of whiche the cause is, schulen stonde bifor the Lord, in the siyt of preestis, and of iugis, that ben in tho daies.

Then the two men, between whom the argument has taken place, are to come before the Lord, before the priests and judges who are then in power;

18 And whanne thei sekynge moost diligentli han founde that the fals witnesse seide a leesyng ayens his brothir,

And the judges will have the question looked into with care: and if the witness is seen to be false and to have made a false statement against his brother,

19 thei schulen yelde to hym, as he thouyte to do to his brother; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro the myddis of thee, that othere men here,

Then do to him what it was his purpose to do to his brother: and so put away the evil from among you.

20 and haue drede, and be no more hardi to do siche thingis.

And the rest of the people, hearing of it, will be full of fear, and never again do such evil among you.

21 Thou schalt not haue mercy on hym, but thou schalt axe lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot.

Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.