Deuteronomio 19
1 Después de que el Señor tu Dios haya destruido las naciones cuya tierra te da, y después de que las hayas expulsado y te hayas establecido en sus ciudades y casas,
“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 entonces debes elegir tres pueblos santuarios en el país que el Señor tu Dios te da como posesión.
you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,
3 Debes construir caminos a estas ciudades. Divide el país en tres secciones. De esta manera, cualquiera que mate a alguien más puede fácilmente correr a estos pueblos para protegerse.
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 Esto es lo que sucederá cuando una persona mate accidentalmente a alguien sin quererlo y corra a uno de estos pueblos santuarios para salvar su vida.
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 Por ejemplo, si un hombre va a cortar madera en el bosque con su amigo y balancea su hacha para cortar un árbol, pero la cabeza se sale del mango y golpea y mata a su amigo, puede correr a uno de estos pueblos para salvar su vida.
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 De lo contrario, el vengador en su ira podría perseguir al hombre y atraparlo y matarlo. El hombre sería asesinado, aunque no mereciera morir, porque lo hizo sin intención de causar daño alguno.
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 Esta es la razón por la que doy esta orden de elegir tres ciudades santuario.
For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.
8 Si el Señor tu Dios expande tu territorio, como prometió a tus antepasados, y te da toda la tierra que te prometió,
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 y si te preocupas por cumplir todos estos mandamientos que te doy hoy, amando al Señor tu Dios y siguiendo siempre sus caminos, entonces debes elegir tres ciudades santuario adicionales.
(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 De esta manera, la sangre de los inocentes no será derramada en el país que el Señor tu Dios te da para que lo poseas y no serás responsable de la muerte de los inocentes que no son culpables de perder sus vidas.
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 Por otra parte, si un hombre odia a alguien, se esconde a la espera, lo ataca y lo mata, y luego el asesino corre a una de las ciudades santuario,
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 los ancianos de su ciudad natal deben mandarlo a buscar, traerlo de vuelta y entregarlo al vengador para que lo mate.
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 No le muestren ninguna piedad. Debes eliminar de Israel la culpa de derramar la sangre de los inocentes, y entonces todo estará bien.
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 No muevas los linderos de tu vecino. Fue colocado allí por tus antepasados para marcar la asignación de tierra que recibirás en el país que el Señor tu Dios te está dando como posesión.
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 La evidencia dada por un solo testigo no es suficiente para probar un pecado o un crimen contra alguien, no importa qué ofensa se alega que haya cometido. Los hechos deben ser confirmados por la evidencia dada por dos o tres testigos.
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 alguien acusa falsamente a otra persona de un delito,
If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,
17 ambos implicados deben ser juzgados en presencia del Señor por los sacerdotes y jueces que estén entonces a cargo.
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 Los jueces llevarán a cabo una investigación completa, y si el acusador resulta ser un mentiroso que ha hecho falsas acusaciones,
And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,
19 entonces debe castigar al acusador de la misma manera en que ellos quisieron castigar a su víctima. Deben eliminar este mal de entre ustedes.
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 Entonces el resto del pueblo oirá y tendrá miedo, y nunca más harán algo tan malo entre ustedes. Entonces todos los demás oirán y tendrán miedo, y no volverán a hacer nada semejante.
Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.
21 No muestren ninguna misericordia. La regla es vida por vida, ojo por ojo, diente por diente, mano por mano y pie por pie.
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.”
