1 W hen Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land the Lord your God gives you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

2 t hou shalt set apart three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it.

You shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess.

3 T hou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Jehovah thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.

You shall prepare the road and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

4 A nd this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past;

And this is the case of the slayer who shall flee there in order that he may live. Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, for whom he had no enmity in time past—

5 a s when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, so that he dieth; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live:

As when a man goes into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand strikes with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips off the handle and lights on his neighbor and kills him—he may flee to one of those cities and live;

6 l est the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer while his heart are hot with anger and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him even though the slayer was not worthy of death, since he had not been at enmity with him previously.

7 W herefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt set apart three cities for thee.

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

8 A nd if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He has sworn to your fathers to do, and gives you all the land which He promised to your fathers to give,

9 i f thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three:

If you keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three other cities to these three,

10 t hat innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

Lest innocent blood be shed in your land, which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and so blood guilt be upon you.

11 B ut if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he dieth, and he flee into one of these cities;

But if any man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, and attacks him and wounds him mortally so that he dies, and the assailant flees into one of these cities,

12 t hen the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

Then the elders of his own city shall send for him and fetch him from there and give him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.

13 T hine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Your eyes shall not pity him, but you shall clear Israel of the guilt of innocent blood, that it may go well with you.

14 T hou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it.

You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, which the men of old set.

15 O ne witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.

One witness shall not prevail against a man for any crime or any wrong in connection with any sin he commits; only on the testimony of two or three witnesses shall a charge be established.

16 I f an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrong-doing,

If a false witness rises up against any man to accuse him of wrongdoing,

17 t hen both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days;

Then both parties to the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days.

18 a nd the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and have testified falsely against his brother;

The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,

19 t hen shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to do unto his brother: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

Then you shall do to him as he had intended to do to his brother. So you shall put away the evil from among you.

20 A nd those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.

And those who remain shall hear and fear, and shall henceforth commit no such evil among you.

21 A nd thine eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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