1 ` 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,

“ 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,

2 t hree cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.

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

3 T hou 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.

You 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.

4 ` 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,

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

5 e ven 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,

as 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;

6 l est 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;

otherwise 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.

7 t herefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.

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

8 ` 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 --

“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—

9 w hen 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;

if 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.

10 a nd 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.

So 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.

11 ` 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,

“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,

12 t hen 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;

then 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.

13 t hine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.

You 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

14 ` 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.

“ 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.

15 ` 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.

“ 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.

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

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

17 t hen have both the men who have the strife stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,

then 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.

18 a nd the judges have searched diligently, and lo, the witness a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified against his brother:

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

19 ` 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,

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

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

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

21 a nd thine eye doth not pity -- life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.