דברים 19

1 כי יכרית יהוה אלהיך את הגוים אשר יהוה אלהיך נתן לך את ארצם וירשתם וישבת בעריהם ובבתיהם

After Yahweh our God has gotten rid of the people-groups from the land that he is giving to you, and after you have expelled them from their cities and you start to live in their houses,

2 שלוש ערים תבדיל לך בתוך ארצך--אשר יהוה אלהיך נתן לך לרשתה

you must divide into three parts the land that he is giving to you. Then choose a city in each part. You must make good roads [in order that people can get to those cities easily]. Someone who kills another person can escape to one of those cities [to be safe/protected].

3 תכין לך הדרך ושלשת את גבול ארצך אשר ינחילך יהוה אלהיך והיה לנוס שמה כל רצח

4 וזה דבר הרצח אשר ינוס שמה וחי אשר יכה את רעהו בבלי דעת והוא לא שנא לו מתמל שלשם

“This is the rule about someone who has killed another person. If someone (accidentally/without planning to) kills another person who was not his enemy, he may escape to one of those cities and be safe/protected there.

5 ואשר יבא את רעהו ביער לחטב עצים ונדחה ידו בגרזן לכרת העץ ונשל הברזל מן העץ ומצא את רעהו ומת הוא ינוס אל אחת הערים האלה--וחי

For example, if two men go into the forest to cut some wood, if the axe head comes off the handle while one of them is chopping down a tree and the axe head strikes and kills the other man, the man [who was using the axe] will be allowed to run to one of those cities and be safe there, [because the people of that city will protect him].

6 פן ירדף גאל הדם אחרי הרצח כי יחם לבבו והשיגו כי ירבה הדרך והכהו נפש ולו אין משפט מות כי לא שנא הוא לו מתמול שלשום

Because he accidentally killed someone, and because the man was not his enemy, he can try to run to one of those cities. If there were only one city, it may be a long distance to that city. Then if the relative of the man who was killed [MTY], the man who is supposed/expected to get revenge, is very angry, he may be able to catch the other person before he arrives at that city.

7 על כן אנכי מצוך לאמר שלש ערים תבדיל לך

[To prevent that from happening], you must choose three cities, not only one, [in order that someone can get to one of those cities quickly].

8 ואם ירחיב יהוה אלהיך את גבלך כאשר נשבע לאבתיך ונתן לך את כל הארץ אשר דבר לתת לאבתיך

“If you do everything that I am today commanding you to do, and if you love Yahweh our God, and if you conduct your lives as he wants you to do, Yahweh our God will give you much more land than you will have when you first occupy it, which is what he promised to do. He will give you all the land which he promised your ancestors that he would give to you. When he gives you that land, you must select three more cities [to which people may escape].

9 כי תשמר את כל המצוה הזאת לעשתה אשר אנכי מצוך היום לאהבה את יהוה אלהיך וללכת בדרכיו כל הימים--ויספת לך עוד שלש ערים על השלש האלה

10 ולא ישפך דם נקי בקרב ארצך אשר יהוה אלהיך נתן לך נחלה והיה עליך דמים

Do this in order that people who (are innocent/have killed someone else without planning to) will not die, and you will not be guilty for [allowing] them to be executed, in the land that Yahweh is giving to you.

11 וכי יהיה איש שנא לרעהו וארב לו וקם עליו והכהו נפש ומת ונס אל אחת הערים האל

“But suppose someone hates his enemy and hides and waits for that person [to come along the road]. Then [when he passes by, suddenly] he attacks him and murders him. If the attacker flees to one of those cities [to be protected there],

12 ושלחו זקני עירו ולקחו אתו משם ונתנו אתו ביד גאל הדם--ומת

the elders of the city [where the murdered man lived must not protect the attacker. They]. must send someone to the city to which the other man escaped, and bring him to [MTY] the relative who is supposed/expected to get revenge, so that he may execute that man.

13 לא תחוס עינך עליו ובערת דם הנקי מישראל וטוב לך

You must not pity those who murder other people! Instead, you must execute them, in order that the people in the land of Israel will not murder [MTY] innocent people, and in order that things will go well for you.”

14 לא תסיג גבול רעך אשר גבלו ראשנים--בנחלתך אשר תנחל בארץ אשר יהוה אלהיך נתן לך לרשתה

“[When you are living] in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, do not move the markers of your neighbors’ property boundaries which were placed there long ago.”

15 לא יקום עד אחד באיש לכל עון ולכל חטאת בכל חטא אשר יחטא על פי שני עדים או על פי שלשה עדים--יקום דבר

“If someone is accused of committing a crime, one (witness/person who says, ‘I saw him do it’) is not enough. There must be at least two (witnesses/people who say, ‘We saw him do it’). [If there is only one witness], the judge must not believe that what he says is true.

16 כי יקום עד חמס באיש לענות בו סרה

“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,

17 ועמדו שני האנשים אשר להם הריב לפני יהוה לפני הכהנים והשפטים אשר יהיו בימים ההם

both of them must go to the place where the people worship, to [talk to] the priests and judges who are serving at that time.

18 ודרשו השפטים היטב והנה עד שקר העד שקר ענה באחיו

The judges must (investigate the case carefully/try to find out which one is telling the truth). If [the judges determine that] one of them has accused the other falsely,

19 ועשיתם לו כאשר זמם לעשות לאחיו ובערת הרע מקרבך

that person must be punished in the same way that the other one would have been punished [if the judge decided that he (was guilty/had done what is wrong)]. By punishing such people, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.

20 והנשארים ישמעו ויראו ולא יספו לעשות עוד כדבר הרע הזה--בקרבך

And/Because when that person is punished, everyone will hear what has happened, and they will be afraid, and no one will dare to act that way any more.

21 ולא תחוס עינך נפש בנפש עין בעין שן בשן יד ביד רגל ברגל

You must not pity people who are punished like that. The rule should be that a person who has murdered someone else must be executed; one of a person’s eyes must be gouged out if he has gouged out someone else’s eye, one tooth of a person who has knocked out the tooth of another person must be knocked out; one hand of a person who has cut off the hand of another person must likewise be cut off; one foot of a person who has cut off the foot of another person must also be cut off.”