Deuteronomii 19

1 Cum disperdiderit Dominus Deus tuus gentes, quarum tibi traditurus est terram, et possederis eam, habitaverisque in urbibus eius et in ædibus:

“When the Lord your God will have destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to you, and when you possess it and live in its cities and buildings,

2 tres civitates separabis tibi in medio Terræ, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi in possessionem,

you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,

3 sternens diligenter viam: et in tres æqualiter partes totam Terræ tuæ provinciam divides: ut habeat e vicino qui propter homicidium profugus est, quo possit evadere.

paving the road carefully. And you shall divide the entire province of your land equally into three parts, so that he who is forced to flee because of manslaughter may have a place nearby to which he may be able to escape.

4 Hæc erit lex homicidæ fugientis, cuius vita servanda est: Qui percusserit proximum suum nesciens, et qui heri et nudiustertius nullum contra eum odium habuisse comprobatur:

This shall be the law of the killer who flees, whose life is to be saved. Whoever strikes down his neighbor unwillingly, and who has been proven to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before,

5 sed abiisse cum eo simpliciter in silvam ad ligna cædenda, et in succisione lignorum securis fugerit manu, ferrumque lapsum de manubrio amicum eius percusserit, et occiderit: hic ad unam supradictarum urbium confugiet, et vivet:

such that he had gone with him into the forest simply to cut wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipped from his hand, or the iron slipped from the handle, and it struck his friend and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities stated above, and he shall live.

6 ne forsitan proximus eius, cuius effusus est sanguis, dolore stimulatus, persequatur, et apprehendat eum si longior via fuerit, et percutiat animam eius, qui non est reus mortis: quia nullum contra eum, qui occisus est, odium prius habuisse monstratur.

Otherwise, perhaps the near relative of him whose blood was shed, impelled by his grief, might pursue and apprehend him, unless the way is too long, and he might strike down the life of him who is not guilty unto death, since he had demonstrated that he had no prior hatred against him who was slain.

7 Idcirco præcipio tibi, ut tres civitates æqualis inter se spatii dividas.

For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.

8 Cum autem dilataverit Dominus Deus tuus terminos tuos, sicut iuravit patribus tuis, et dederit tibi cunctam Terram, quam eis pollicitus est

And when the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he swore to your fathers, and when he will have given to you all the land that he has promised to them,

9 (si tamen custodieris mandata eius, et feceris quæ hodie præcipio tibi, ut diligas Dominum Deum tuum, et ambules in viis eius omni tempore) addes tibi tres alias civitates, et supradictarum trium urbium numerum duplicabis:

(but this is only so if you will keep his commandments and do the things which I instruct to you this day, so that you love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways at all times) you shall add for yourselves three other cities, and so you shall double the number of the three cities stated above.

10 ut non effundatur sanguis innoxius in medio Terræ, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi possidendam, ne sis sanguinis reus.

So may innocent blood not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord your God will give you to possess, lest you be guilty of blood.

11 Si quis autem odio habens proximum suum, insidiatus fuerit vitæ eius, surgensque percusserit illum, et mortuus fuerit, fugeritque ad unam de supradictis urbibus,

But if anyone, having hatred for his neighbor, will have lain in ambush for his life, and, rising up, will have struck him, and he will have died, and if he will have fled to one of the cities stated above,

12 mittent seniores civitatis illius, et arripient eum de loco effugii, tradentque in manu proximi, cuius sanguis effusus est, et morietur.

the elders of his city shall send, and they shall take him from the place of refuge, and they shall deliver him into the hand of the relative of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

13 Non miseraberis eius, et auferes innoxium sanguinem de Israel, ut bene sit tibi.

You shall not take pity on him, and so shall you take away the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

14 Non assumes, et transferes terminos proximi tui, quos fixerunt priores in possessione tua, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi in Terra, quam acceperis possidendam.

You shall not take up or move the landmark of your neighbor, which those before you have placed, in your possession that the Lord your God will give to you, in the land you will receive to possess.

15 Non stabit testis unus contra aliquem, quidquid illud peccati, et facinoris fuerit: sed in ore duorum aut trium testium stabit omne verbum.

One witness shall not stand against another, no matter what the sin or outrage may be. For every word shall stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

16 Si steterit testis mendax contra hominem, accusans eum prævaricationis,

If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,

17 stabunt ambo, quorum causa est, ante Dominum in conspectu sacerdotum et iudicum qui fuerint in diebus illis.

both of those whose case it is shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges who shall be in those days.

18 Cumque diligentissime perscrutantes, invenerint falsum testem dixisse contra fratrem suum mendacium:

And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,

19 reddent ei sicut fratri suo facere cogitavit, et auferes malum de medio tui:

they shall render to him just as he intended to do to his brother. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.

20 ut audientes ceteri timorem habeant, et nequaquam talia audeant facere.

Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.

21 Non misereberis eius, sed animam pro anima, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, manum pro manu, pedem pro pede exiges.

You shall not take pity on him. Instead, you shall require a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.”