Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses;

2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess.

You are to have three towns marked out in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.

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

You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight.

4 This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbour unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past—

This is to be the rule for anyone who goes in flight there, after causing the death of his neighbour in error and not through hate;

5 as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbour to chop wood and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbour so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

For example, if a man goes into the woods with his neighbour for the purpose of cutting down trees, and when he takes his axe to give a blow to the tree, the head of the axe comes off, and falling on to his neighbour gives him a wound causing his death; then the man may go in flight to one of these towns and be safe:

6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.

For if not, he who has the right of punishment may go running after the taker of life in the heat of his wrath, and overtake him because the way is long, and give him a death-blow; though it is not right for him to be put to death because he was not moved by hate.

7 Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.

And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose.

8 If the LORD 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;

And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;

9 and if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways, then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, in addition to these three.

If you keep and do all these orders which I give you today, loving the Lord your God and walking ever in his ways; then let three more towns, in addition to these three, be marked out for you:

10 This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.

So that in all your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, no man may be wrongly put to death, for which you will be responsible.

11 But if any man hates his neighbour, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;

But if any man has hate for his neighbour, and waiting for him secretly makes an attack on him and gives him a blow causing his death, and then goes in flight to one of these towns;

12 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.

The responsible men of his town are to send and take him, and give him up to the one who has the right of punishment to be put to death.

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

Have no pity on him, so that Israel may be clear from the crime of putting a man to death without cause, and it will be well for you.

14 You shall not remove your neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.

Your neighbour's landmark, which was put in its place by the men of old times, is not to be moved or taken away in the land of your heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.

15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.

One witness may not make a statement against a man in relation to any sin or wrongdoing which he has done: on the word of two or three witnesses a question is to be judged.

16 If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

If a false witness makes a statement against a man, saying that he has done wrong,

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

Then the two men, between whom the argument has taken place, are to come before the Lord, before the priests and judges who are then in power;

18 and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,

And the judges will have the question looked into with care: and if the witness is seen to be false and to have made a false statement against his brother,

19 then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from amongst you.

Then do to him what it was his purpose to do to his brother: and so put away the evil from among you.

20 Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil amongst you.

And the rest of the people, hearing of it, will be full of fear, and never again do such evil among you.

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

Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.