1 “ When the Lord your God cuts off the nations, whose land the Lord your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses,

“The Lord your God will destroy the nations whose land the Lord your God gives you. You will take their place and live in their cities and in their houses. At that time

2 y ou shall set aside three cities for yourself in the midst of your land, which the Lord your God gives you to possess.

you should set apart three cities for yourself in the land the Lord your God gives you for your own.

3 Y ou shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as a possession, so that any manslayer may flee there.

Make the roads good that lead to these cities. Divide into three parts the land the Lord your God gives you for your own. Any man who kills another may run to a city and be safe.

4 “ Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously—

“This is the law of the person who kills another and runs to a city to save his life. He might have killed his friend without meaning to, a friend he did not hate in the past.

5 a s when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live;

He could have gone among the trees with his friend to cut wood. As he was using his ax to cut down a tree, the ax head could have come off the stick and hit his friend, killing him. Then he may run to one of these cities and live.

6 o therwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously.

Or else the one who is angry will want to punish him for the killing, and will catch him and kill him. But the killer should not be put to death, because he had not hated the man in the past.

7 T herefore, I command you, saying, ‘You shall set aside three cities for yourself.’

So I tell you, ‘Set apart three cities for yourself.’

8 “ If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers—

The Lord your God will give you even more land, as He has promised your fathers. He will give you all the land which He promised to give your fathers,

9 i f you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways always— then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.

if you are careful to obey all the Laws I tell you today. Love the Lord your God. Walk in His ways always. Then you will add three other cities to these three.

10 S o innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and bloodguiltiness be on you.

So the person without guilt will not be put to death in the land the Lord your God gives you as a gift. And you will not be guilty of blood.

11 “ But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,

“But there might be a man who hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, goes against him, and hurts him so that he dies. After this he might run to one of these cities.

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

Then the leaders of his city should send men to take him from there and bring him to the one who wants to punish him for the killing that he may die.

13 Y ou shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you. Laws of Landmark and Testimony

Do not pity him. In Israel be free from the blood of those that are not guilty. Then it will go well with you.

14 “ You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.

“Do not move your neighbor’s land-mark which the fathers of long ago have set in the land the Lord your God gives you for your own.

15 “ A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.

“One person will not prove the guilt of a sin another man may have done. It will take two or three people who know about the sin to prove the man’s guilt.

16 I f a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing,

If an angry person speaks against a man, saying that he did something wrong,

17 t hen both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days.

then both men who are arguing should stand before the Lord, in front of the religious leaders and the judges who are at work at that time.

18 T he judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely,

The judges will choose careful questions to ask about the problem. If the man lied who said his brother is guilty,

19 t hen you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.

then you should do to him just what he wanted to do to his brother. In this way you will get rid of the sin among you.

20 T he rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.

The rest of the people will hear and be afraid. They will never do such a sinful thing among you again.

21 T hus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Do not pity him. It will be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.