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 is giving 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 separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving 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 roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there.

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 manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him 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 to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these 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 blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past.

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

Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’

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,

“Now if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your 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.

and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides 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 the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed 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 anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to 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 bring him from there, and deliver him over to 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.

Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you. Property Boundaries

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, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. The Law Concerning Witnesses

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 against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

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

If a false witness rises against any man to testify against 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 men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve 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 careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has 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 you shall do to him as he thought to have done 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 hereafter they shall not again commit 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 eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.