1 “ 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

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

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

3 M ake 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.

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 “ 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.

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 H e 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.

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 O r 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.

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

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

8 T he 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,

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 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.

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 S o 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.

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 “ 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.

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 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.

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

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 “ 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.

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 “ 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.

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

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

17 t hen 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.

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

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

19 t hen 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.

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

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

21 D o not pity him. It will be life 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.