Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD your God has cut off the nations, whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

“When your God YHWH cuts off the nations whose land your God YHWH is giving to you, and you have dispossessed them, and dwelt in their cities and in their houses,

2 You shall separate three cities for you in the midst of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess it.

you separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which your God YHWH is giving to you to possess it.

3 You shall prepare you a way, and divide the coasts of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

You prepare the way for yourself, and have divided into three parts the border of your land which your God YHWH causes you to inherit, and it has been for the fleeing there of every manslayer.

4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso kills his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;

And this [is] the matter of the manslayer who flees there, and has lived: he who strikes his neighbor unknowingly, and is not hating him before—

5 As when a man goes into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the wooden handle, and lights upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

even he who comes into a forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand has driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron has slipped from the wood, and has met his neighbor, and he has died—he flees to one of these cities, and has lived,

6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

lest the redeemer of blood pursue after the manslayer when his heart is hot and has overtaken him, because the way is great, and has struck his life, and he has no sentence of death, for he is not hating him before;

7 Wherefore I command you, saying, You shall separate three cities for you.

therefore I am commanding you, saying, You separate three cities for yourself.

8 And if the LORD your God enlarge your coast, as he has sworn unto your fathers, and give you all the land which he promised to give unto your fathers;

And if your God YHWH enlarges your border, as He has sworn to your fathers, and has given to you all the land which He has spoken to give to your fathers—

9 If you shall keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shall you add three cities more for you, beside these three:

when you keep all this command to do it, which I am commanding you today, to love your God YHWH and to walk in His ways [for] all the days—then you have added three more cities for yourself to these three;

10 That innocent blood be not shed in your land, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be upon you.

and [do this] lest innocent blood is shed in the midst of your land which your God YHWH is giving to you [for] an inheritance, and there has been blood on you.

11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and strike him mortally that he die, and flees into one of these cities:

And when a man is hating his neighbor, and has lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and struck his life, and he has died, then he has fled to one of these cities,

12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

and [the] elderly of his city have sent and taken him from there, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he has died;

13 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.

your eye has no pity on him, and you have put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with you.

14 You shall not remove your neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in your inheritance, which you shall inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess it.

You do not remove a border of your neighbor, which they of former times have made, in your inheritance, which you inherit in the land which your God YHWH is giving to you to possess it.

15 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 the matter be established.

One witness does not rise against a man for any iniquity and for any sin, in any sin which he sins; by the mouth of two witnesses or by the mouth of three witnesses is a thing established.

16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

When a violent witness rises against a man to testify against him apostasy,

17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

then both of the men who have the strife have stood before YHWH, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,

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

and the judges have searched diligently, and behold, the witness [is] a false witness who has testified a falsehood against his brother,

19 Then shall all of you do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shall you put the evil away from among you.

then you have done to him as he devised to do to his brother, and you have put away evil out of your midst,

20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

and those who are left hear and fear, and do not add to do according to this evil thing in your midst anymore.

21 And your eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

And your eye does not pity—life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”