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 Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt 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.

three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to 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 dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.

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 the matter of the man-slayer who fleeth thither, and hath lived: He who smiteth his neighbour unknowingly, and is not hating him heretofore,

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.

even he who cometh in with his neighbour into a forest to hew wood, and his hand hath driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron hath slipped from the wood, and hath met his neighbour, and he hath died -- he doth flee unto one of these cities, and hath lived,

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 redeemer of blood pursue after the man-slayer when his heart is hot, and hath overtaken him (because the way is great), and hath smitten him -- the life, and he hath no sentence of death, for he is not hating him heretofore;

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

therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to 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 Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to 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.

when thou keepest all this command to do it, which I am commanding thee to-day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in His ways all the days -- then thou hast added to thee yet three 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.

and innocent blood is not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an inheritance, and there hath been upon thee blood.

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.

`And when a man is hating his neighbour, and hath lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and smitten him -- the life, and he hath died, and he hath fled unto 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 have sent and taken him from thence, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he hath died;

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 hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is 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 dost not remove a border of thy neighbour, which they of former times have made, in thine inheritance, which thou dost inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to 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 doth not rise against a man for any iniquity, and for any sin, in any sin which he sinneth; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, is a thing established.

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

`When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostacy,

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 have both the men who have the strife stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who are 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 have searched diligently, and lo, the witness a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified 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 ye have done to him as he devised to do to his brother, and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst,

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 are left do hear and fear, and add not to do any more according to this evil thing in thy midst;

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 doth not pity -- life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.