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 thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest 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.

Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

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.

Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

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, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not 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 goeth into the wood with his neighbour 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 neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto 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 is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

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

Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

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 thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

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 thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside 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.

That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

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 hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth 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 city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, 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.

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

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.

Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

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 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 the matter be established.

16 I f an angry person speaks against a man, saying that he did something wrong,

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

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 the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be 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,

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

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 shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away 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 which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any 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.

And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.