اَلتَّثْنِيَة 19

١ 1 «مَتَى قَرَضَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ ٱلْأُمَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ يُعْطِيكَ أَرْضَهُمْ، وَوَرِثْتَهُمْ وَسَكَنْتَ مُدُنَهُمْ وَبُيُوتَهُمْ،

When Adonai your God cuts off the nations, whose land Adonai your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

٢ 2 تَفْرِزُ لِنَفْسِكَ ثَلَاثَ مُدُنٍ فِي وَسَطِ أَرْضِكَ ٱلَّتِي يُعْطِيكَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ لِتَمْتَلِكَهَا.

you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which Adonai your God gives you to possess it.

٣ 3 تُصْلِحُ ٱلطَّرِيقَ وَتُثَلِّثُ تُخُومَ أَرْضِكَ ٱلَّتِي يَقْسِمُ لَكَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ، فَتَكُونُ لِكَيْ يَهْرُبَ إِلَيْهَا كُلُّ قَاتِلٍ.

You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Adonai your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there.

٤ 4 وَهَذَا هُوَ حُكْمُ ٱلْقَاتِلِ ٱلَّذِي يَهْرُبُ إِلَى هُنَاكَ فَيَحْيَا: مَنْ ضَرَبَ صَاحِبَهُ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَهُوَ غَيْرُ مُبْغِضٍ لَهُ مُنْذُ أَمْسِ وَمَا قَبْلَهُ.

This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live. Whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and didn’t hate him in time past;

٥ 5 وَمَنْ ذَهَبَ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ فِي ٱلْوَعْرِ لِيَحْتَطِبَ حَطَبًا، فَٱنْدَفَعَتْ يَدُهُ بِٱلْفَأْسِ لِيَقْطَعَ ٱلْحَطَبَ، وَأَفْلَتَ ٱلْحَدِيدُ مِنَ ٱلْخَشَبِ وَأَصَابَ صَاحِبَهُ فَمَاتَ، فَهُوَ يَهْرُبُ إِلَى إِحْدَى تِلْكَ ٱلْمُدُنِ فَيَحْيَا.

as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies, he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

٦ 6 لِئَلَّا يَسْعَى وَلِيُّ ٱلدَّمِ وَرَاءَ ٱلْقَاتِلِ حِينَ يَحْمَى قَلْبُهُ، وَيُدْرِكَهُ إِذَا طَالَ ٱلطَّرِيقُ وَيَقْتُلَهُ، وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ حُكْمُ ٱلْمَوْتِ، لِأَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مُبْغِضٍ لَهُ مُنْذُ أَمْسِ وَمَا قَبْلَهُ.

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally; even though he was not mishpat ·judged· worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.

٧ 7 لِأَجْلِ ذَلِكَ أَنَا آمُرُكَ قَائِلًا: ثَلَاثَ مُدُنٍ تَفْرِزُ لِنَفْسِكَ.

Therefore I enjoin you to set apart three cities for yourselves.

٨ 8 وَإِنْ وَسَّعَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ تُخُومَكَ كَمَا حَلَفَ لِآبَائِكَ، وَأَعْطَاكَ جَمِيعَ ٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلَّتِي قَالَ إِنَّهُ يُعْطِي لِآبَائِكَ،

If Adonai your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

٩ 9 إِذْ حَفِظْتَ كُلَّ هَذِهِ ٱلْوَصَايَا لِتَعْمَلَهَا، كَمَا أَنَا أُوصِيكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ لِتُحِبَّ ٱلرَّبَّ إِلَهَكَ وَتَسْلُكَ فِي طُرُقِهِ كُلَّ ٱلْأَيَّامِ، فَزِدْ لِنَفْسِكَ أَيْضًا ثَلَاثَ مُدُنٍ عَلَى هَذِهِ ٱلثَّلَاثِ،

if you keep all this mitzvot ·instructions· to do them, which I enjoin you today, to 'ahav ·affectionately love· Adonai your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, besides these three.

١٠ 10 حَتَّى لَا يُسْفَكَ دَمُ بَرِيءٍ فِي وَسَطِ أَرْضِكَ ٱلَّتِي يُعْطِيكَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ نَصِيبًا، فَيَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ دَمٌ.

This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which Adonai your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.

١١ 11 «وَلَكِنْ إِذَا كَانَ إِنْسَانٌ مُبْغِضًا لِصَاحِبِهِ، فَكَمَنَ لَهُ وَقَامَ عَلَيْهِ وَضَرَبَهُ ضَرْبَةً قَاتِلَةً فَمَاتَ، ثُمَّ هَرَبَ إِلَى إِحْدَى تِلْكَ ٱلْمُدُنِ،

But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;

١٢ 12 يُرْسِلُ شُيُوخُ مَدِينَتِهِ وَيَأْخُذُونَهُ مِنْ هُنَاكَ وَيَدْفَعُونَهُ إِلَى يَدِ وَلِيِّ ٱلدَّمِ فَيَمُوتُ.

then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

١٣ 13 لَا تُشْفِقْ عَيْنُكَ عَلَيْهِ. فَتَنْزِعَ دَمَ ٱلْبَرِيءِ مِنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَيَكُونَ لَكَ خَيْرٌ.

Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel [God prevails], that it may go well with you.

١٤ 14 لَا تَنْقُلْ تُخْمَ صَاحِبِكَ ٱلَّذِي نَصَبَهُ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ فِي نَصِيبِكَ ٱلَّذِي تَنَالُهُ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلَّتِي يُعْطِيكَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ لِكَيْ تَمْتَلِكَهَا.

You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Adonai your God gives you to possess.

١٥ 15 «لَا يَقُومُ شَاهِدٌ وَاحِدٌ عَلَى إِنْسَانٍ فِي ذَنْبٍ مَّا أَوْ خَطِيَّةٍ مَّا مِنْ جَمِيعِ ٱلْخَطَايَا ٱلَّتِي يُخْطِئُ بِهَا. عَلَى فَمِ شَاهِدَيْنِ أَوْ عَلَى فَمِ ثَلَاثَةِ شُهُودٍ يَقُومُ ٱلْأَمْرُ.

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.

١٦ 16 إِذَا قَامَ شَاهِدُ زُورٍ عَلَى إِنْسَانٍ لِيَشْهَدَ عَلَيْهِ بِزَيْغٍ،

If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

١٧ 17 يَقِفُ ٱلرَّجُلَانِ ٱللَّذَانِ بَيْنَهُمَا ٱلْخُصُومَةُ أَمَامَ ٱلرَّبِّ، أَمَامَ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ وَٱلْقُضَاةِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكُونُونَ فِي تِلْكَ ٱلْأَيَّامِ.

then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Adonai, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;

١٨ 18 فَإِنْ فَحَصَ ٱلْقُضَاةُ جَيِّدًا، وَإِذَا ٱلشَّاهِدُ شَاهِدٌ كَاذِبٌ، قَدْ شَهِدَ بِٱلْكَذِبِ عَلَى أَخِيهِ،

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

١٩ 19 فَٱفْعَلُوا بِهِ كَمَا نَوَى أَنْ يَفْعَلَ بِأَخِيهِ. فَتَنْزِعُونَ ٱلشَّرَّ مِنْ وَسْطِكُمْ.

then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

٢٠ 20 وَيَسْمَعُ ٱلْبَاقُونَ فَيَخَافُونَ، وَلَا يَعُودُونَ يَفْعَلُونَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ٱلْأَمْرِ ٱلْخَبِيثِ فِي وَسَطِكَ.

Those who remain shall sh'ma ·hear obey·, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you.

٢١ 21 لَا تُشْفِقْ عَيْنُكَ. نَفْسٌ بِنَفْسٍ. عَيْنٌ بِعَيْنٍ. سِنٌّ بِسِنٍّ. يَدٌ بِيَدٍ. رِجْلٌ بِرِجْلٍ.

Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.