1 « حِينَ يُفنِي إلَهُكُمُ الأُمَمَ الَّتِي سَيُعطِيكُمْ أرْضَهُمْ، وَتَطرُدُونَهُمْ وَتَسكُنُونَ فِي مُدُنِهِمْ وَبُيُوتِهِمْ،

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

2 ف َخَصِّصُوا ثَلاثَ مُدُنٍ فِي وَسَطِ الأرْضِ الَّتِي يُعطِيها إلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ لِتَمتَلِكُوها.

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

3 ي َنبَغِي أنْ تَحسِبُوا المَسافاتِ وَتُقَسِّمُوا الأرْضَ الَّتِي يُعطِيها إلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ إلَى ثَلاثَةِ أقسامٍ، لِيَهرُبَ إلَى هُناكَ كُلُّ قاتِلٍ.

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

4 « وَهَذا هِيَ القاعِدَةُ فِي منْ يَقتُلُ أحَداً وَيَهرُبُ هُناكَ لِيَبقَى حَيّاً: مَنْ يَقتُلُ شَخصاً بِغَيرِ قَصدٍ، وَلَيسَتْ بَينَهُما عَداوَةٌ مِنْ قَبلُ.

This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live. Whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and didn’t hate him in time past;

5 ف َإنْ ذَهَبَ اثْنانِ إلَى الغابَةِ لِقَطْعِ الأخشابِ، وَرَفَعَ أحَدُهُما يَدَهُ بِالفَأْسِ لِيَقطَعَ شَجَرَةً، فانزَلَقَ رَأسُ الفَأسِ مِنْ مِقبَضِهِ وَضَرَبَ رَفيقَهُ فَماتَ، فَليَهرُبْ إلَى إحدَى هَذِهِ المُدُنِ لِيَحيا.

as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies, he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

6 و َإنْ لَمْ يَهْرُبْ، فَإنَّ قَرِيبَ المَيِّتِ الَّذِي يَثأرُ لِدَمِهِ، سَيَسْعَى وَراءَهُ عِندَ اشْتِدادِ غَضَبِهِ. وَيُمسِكُهُ إنْ كانَ بَعِيداً عَنْ مَدِينَةِ اللُّجُوءِ وَيَقتُلُهُ. مَعَ أنَّهُ لا يَستَحِقُّ حُكمَ المَوتِ، لِأنَّهُ لَمْ يَقْتُلْ بِدَافِعِ الكَراهِيَّةِ.

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer, while his heart is hot, 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.

7 ل ِهَذا أُوصِيكُمْ أنْ تُخَصِّصُوا ثَلاثَ مُدُنٍ.

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

8 « وَلَكِنْ إنْ وَسَّعَ إلَهكُمْ أرْضَكُمْ، كَما وَعَدَ آباءَكُمْ. وَأعطاكُمْ كُلَّ الأرْضِ الَّتِي وَعَدَ بِأنْ أُعْطِيَها لآبائِكُمْ،

If Yahweh 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;

9 ف َإذا حَرِصتُمْ عَلَى عَمَلِ كُلِّ ما أُوصِيكُمْ بِهِ اليَومَ، بِأنْ تَحِبُّوا إلَهَكَمْ وَتَعيشوا حَسَبَ مَشِيئَتِهِ، فَحِينَئِذٍ تُضِيفُونَ ثَلاثَ مُدُنٍ أُخْرَى إلَى هَذِهِ الثَّلاث.

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

10 و َهَكَذا، لَنْ يُقتَلَ بَرِيءٌ فِي أرْضَكُمُ الَّتِي يُعطِيها إلَهُكُمْ مِيراثاً لَكُمْ، وَلَنْ تُدانوا بِسَبَبِ قَتلِ الأبْرياءِ.

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

11 « لَكِنْ إنْ كانَ شَخصٌ يَكرَهُ شَخصاً آخَرَ، فَكَمَنَ لَهُ، وَانْتَظَرَ، وَهاجَمَهُ وَضَرَبَهُ حَتَّى المَوتِ، وَهَرَبَ إلَى إحدَى هَذِهِ المُدُنِ،

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

12 ف َإنَّهُ يَكُونُ عَلَى قادَةِ مَدِينَتِهِ أنْ يُرسِلُوا وَيَأْخُذُوهُ مِنْ هُناكَ وَيُسَلِّمُوهُ إلَى يَدِ الَّذي يَثأرُ لِدَمِهِ، فَيَقْتُلَهُ.

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.

13 ل ا تُشْفِقُوا عَلَيهِ، بَلْ أزِيلُوا إثمَ قَتلِ شَخصٍ بَرِيء مِنْ إسْرائِيلَ لِيَكُونَ لَكُمْ خَيرٌ. حُدُودُ الأملاك

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

14 « لا تُحَرِّكُوا الحِجارَةَ الَّتِي تُشِيرُ إلَى حُدُودِ أرْضِ جارِكُمُ الَّتِي وَضَعَها آباؤكُمْ فِي الأرْضِ الَّتِي يُعطِيها إلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ لِتَمتَلِكُوها. الشُّهُود

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

15 « لا يَكفِي شاهِدٌ واحِدٌ لإدانَةِ أحَدٍ عَلَى أيِّ خَطَأٍ أوْ عَلَى خَطيَّةٍ ارتَكَبَها، بَلْ تَتَثَبَّتُ كُلُّ مَسالَةٍ بِشَهادَةِ شاهِدَينِ أوْ ثَلاثَةٍ.

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

16 « إذا تَقَدَّمَ شاهِدُ زُورٍ لِيَشهَدَ عَلَى شَخصٍ ما، وَقَدَّمَ شَهادَةً كاذِبَةً،

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

17 ي َقِفُ المُتَخاصِمانِ فِي حَضْرَةِ اللهِ أمامَ الكَهَنَةِ وَالقُضاةِ المَسؤُولِينَ فِي تِلكَ الأيّامِ.

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

18 و َيَتَحَرَّى القُضاةُ الأمرَ جَيِّداً، فَإنْ كانَ الشّاهِدُ قَدْ قَدَّمَ شَهادَةً كاذِبَةً ضِدَّ أخِيهِ،

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

19 ف َإنَّهُ يَنبَغِي أنْ تَعمَلُوا بِهِ ما نَوَى أنْ يَعمَلَهُ بِأخِيهِ. وَهَكَذا تُزِيلُونَ الشَّرَّ مِنْ وَسَطِكُمْ.

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

20 ف َيَسمَعَ بَقِيَّةُ الشَّعبِ عَنِ الأمرِ فَيَخافُوا، وَلا يَعمَلُوا مِثلَ هَذا الشَّرَّ فِي وَسَطِكُمْ.

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

21 « لا تُشفِقُوا عَلَيهِ، بَلِ عاقِبُوهُ حَياةً بِحَياةٍ، وَعَيناً بِعَينٍ، وَسِنّاً بِسِنٍّ، وَيَداً بِيَدٍ، وَرِجلا بِرِجلٍ.

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