Deuteronomy 19

1 '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,

When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

2 three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.

thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy GOD giveth thee to possess it.

3 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.

Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which the LORD thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.

4 '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,

And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past;

5 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,

as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live;

6 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;

lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

7 therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.

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

8 '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 —

And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers —

9 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;

if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, 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, beside these three;

10 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.

that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

11 '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,

But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities;

12 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;

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

13 thine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.

Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

14 '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.

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

15 '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.

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 a matter be establishment

16 'When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostasy,

If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness against him;

17 then have both the men who have the strife stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,

then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.

18 and the judges have searched diligently, and lo, the witness [is] a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified against his brother:

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

19 '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,

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

20 and those who are left do hear and fear, and add not to do any more according to this evil thing in thy midst;

And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.

21 and thine eye doth not pity — life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.