تَثنِيَة 19

١ 1 مَتَى أَفْنَى الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمُ الأُمَمَ الَّذِينَ سَيُوَرِّثُكُمْ أَرْضَهُمْ، وَسَكَنْتُمْ فِي مُدُنِهِمْ وَبُيُوتِهِمْ،

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 فَأَفْرِزُوا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ ثَلاَثَ مُدُنٍ فِي وَسَطِ أَرْضِكُمُ الَّتِي يَهَبُهَا لَكُمُ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لِتَمْتَلِكُوهَا.

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 فَعَبِّدُوا الطُّرُقَ إِلَيْهَا، وَقَسِّمُوا الأَرْضَ الَّتِي يَهَبُهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ إِلَى ثَلاَثِ مَنَاطِقَ، لِتَكُونَ مَلْجَأً يَلُوذُ بِهَا كُلُّ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْساً عَنْ غَيْرِ عَمْدٍ.

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 الْحُكْمُ الْمُتَعَلِّقُ بِالْقَاتِلِ الَّذِي يَلْجَأُ إِلَى هُنَاكَ فَيَحْيَا: مَنْ ضَرَبَ صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ غَيْرِ قَصْدٍ، وَهُوَ لاَ يَكُنُّ لَهُ الْبَغْضَاءَ سَابِقاً،

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 وَمَنِ انْطَلَقَ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ إِلَى الْغَابَةِ لِيَحْتَطِبَ، فَأَفْلَتَتْ حَدِيدَةُ الْفَأْسِ مِنْ رَأْسِ الذِّرَاعِ الْخَشَبِيَّةِ وَأَصَابَتْ صَاحِبَهُ فَمَاتَ، يَلْجَأُ الْقَاتِلُ إِلَى إِحْدَى تِلْكَ الْمُدُنِ وَيَحْيَا

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 لِئَلاَّ يَسْعَى طَالِبُ الثَّأْرِ وَرَاءَهُ عِنْدَ احْتِدَامِ نِقْمَتِهِ وَيُدْرِكَهُ إِذَا طَالَتِ الطَّرِيقُ وَيَقْتُلَهُ، مَعَ أَنَّهُ لاَ يَسْتَحِقُّ جَزَاءَ الْمَوْتِ، لأَنَّ الْقَاتِلَ لَمْ يُضْمِرِ الْبَغْضَاءَ لِلْمَقْتُولِ مِنْ قَبْلُ

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 لِهَذَا أَنَا آمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تَفْرِزُوا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ ثَلاَثَ مُدُنٍ.

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

٨ 8 وَإِنْ وَسَّعَ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ أَرْضَكُمْ، كَمَا أَقْسَمَ لِآبَائِكُمْ، وَأَوْرَثَكُمْ جَمِيعَ الأَرْضِ الَّتِي وَعَدَ أَنْ يَهَبَهَا لَهُمْ،

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 وَإِذَا أَطَعْتُمْ هَذِهِ الْوَصَايَا كُلَّهَا وَعَمِلْتُمْ بِهَا كَمَا أُوْصِيكُمُ الْيَوْمَ، وَأَحْبَبْتُمُ الرَّبَّ إِلَهَكُمْ وَسَلَكْتُمْ فِي سُبُلِهِ دَائِماً، فَأَضِيفُوا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ مُدُنَ مَلْجَإٍ أُخْرَى

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 فَلاَ يُسْفَكَ دَمُ بَرِيءٍ فِي وَسَطِ أَرْضِكُمُ الَّتِي يَهَبُهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ مِيرَاثاً، فَتَكُونُ مُلَطَّخَةً بِالدَّمِ.

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 كَمَنَ إِنْسَانٌ يُضْمِرُ الْبَغْضَاءَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَقَامَ عَلَيْهِ وَضَرَبَهُ ضَرْبَةً قَاتِلَةً أَفْضَتْ إِلَى مَوْتِهِ، ثُمَّ هَرَبَ إِلَى إِحْدَى مُدُنِ الْمَلْجَإِ،

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 يُوَجِّهُ شُيُوخُ مَدِينَتِهِ مَنْ يَقْبِضُ عَلَيْهِ هُنَاكَ، وَيَأْتِي بِهِ، فَيُسَلِّمُونَهُ إِلَى طَالِبِ الثَّأْرِ 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 لاَ تَتَرَأَّفْ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ، بَلِ انْتَقِمُوا لِدَمِ الْبَرِيءِ فِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَيَكُونَ لَكُمْ 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 لاَ تَنْقُلُوا حُدُودَ أَرْضِ صَاحِبِكُمُ الَّتِي نَصَبَهَا الأَوَّلُونَ لِتَزِيدُوا مِنْ مِيرَاثِكُمُ الَّذِي يَهَبُهُ لَكُمُ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لِتَمْتَلِكُوهُ.

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 لاَ يَثْبُتُ عَلَى إِنْسَانٍ ذَنْبٌ مَا أَوْ خَطِيئَةٌ مَا مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْخَطَايَا الَّتِي يَرْتَكِبُهَا الإِنْسَانُ عَلَى فَمِ شَاهِدٍ وَاحِدٍ، إِنَّمَا بِشَهَادَةِ اثْنَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثَةٍ يَثْبُتُ الذَّنْبُ.

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 شَهِدَ وَاحِدٌ عَلَى آخَرَ شَهَادَةَ زُورٍ مُتَّهِماً إِيَّاهُ بِارْتِكَابِ ذَنْبٍ،

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

١٧ 17 يَمْثُلُ الرَّجُلانِ الْمُتَخَاصِمَانِ فِي مَحْضَرِ الرَّبِّ أَمَامَ الْكَهَنَةِ وَالْقُضَاةِ الْمُعَيَّنِينَ فِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ.

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 تَحَقَّقَ الْقُضَاةُ بَعْدَ فَحْصٍ دَقِيقٍ أَنَّ الشَّاهِدَ قَدْ شَهِدَ زُوراً 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 فَأَنْزِلُوا بِهِ الْعِقَابَ الَّذِي كَانَ سَيُنْزِلُهُ بِأَخِيهِ، فَتَسْتَأْصِلُوا الشَّرَّ مِنْ بَيْنِكُمْ،

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 فَيَشِيعُ الْخَبَرُ وَيَسْمَعُ بِهِ بَقِيَّةُ الشَّعْبِ فَيَخَافُونَ، وَلاَ يَعُودُونَ يُقْدِمُونَ عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا الأَمْرِ الْقَبِيحِ فِي وَسَطِكُمْ.

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

٢١ 21 لاَ تَتَرَأَّفْ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ. حَيَاةٌ بِحَيَاةٍ، وَعَيْنٌ بِعَيْنٍ، وَسِنٌّ بِسِنٍّ، وَيَدٌ بِيَدٍ، وَرِجْلٌ بِرِجْلٍ.

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