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 Jehovah your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah your God gives you, and you 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.

you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which Jehovah your God gives you 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.

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

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,

This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him 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 goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to 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 strike him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he did not hate him in time past.

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

Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for yourselves.

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 —

If Jehovah 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;

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 you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you this day, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, besides 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 not be shed in the midst of your land, which Jehovah your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be on you.

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 hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees 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 bring him there, 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.

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

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.

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 Jehovah your God gives you 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 sins: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall every word be established.

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 testify against him of wrongdoing,

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 Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who 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 make diligent inquisition: and, look, if the witness is a false witness, and has 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 you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you.

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;

Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall hereafter commit no more any such evil in the midst of you.

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

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