Deuteronomy 19

1 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, those whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and when you come after them and live in their cities and houses,

2 thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

you must select three cities for yourself in the middle of your land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.

3 Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which the LORD thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.

You must build a road and divide the borders of your land into three parts, the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, so that everyone who kills another person may flee there.

4 And this is the case of the manslayer, which shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past;

This is the law for the one who kills another and who flees there to live—anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, and did not previously hate him.

5 as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live:

For example, if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his chops with the ax to cut down a tree, and the ax head slips off of the handle and strikes his neighbor and kills him—then that man must flee to one of these cities and save his life.

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

Otherwise the avenger of blood might go after the one who took a life, and in the heat of his anger overtake him, if the distance is too great, strike him and kill him, even though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past.

7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

Therefore I command you to select three cities for yourself.

8 And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

If Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has sworn to your ancestors to do, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors;

9 if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

if you keep all these commandments to do them, which I am commanding you today—commandments to love Yahweh your God and to always walk in his ways, then you must add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.

10 that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

Do this so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of the land that Yahweh your God is giving you for as an inheritance, so that no bloodguilt may be on you.

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

But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and mortally wounds him so that he dies, and if he then flees into 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.

then the elders of his city must send and bring him back from there, and turn him over into the hand of the responsible relative, so that he may die.

13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Your eye must not pity him; instead, you must eradicate the bloodguilt from Israel, that it may go well with you.

14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

You must not remove your neighbor's landmark that they set in place a long time ago, in your inheritance that you will inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.

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

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

16 If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrong-doing;

Suppose that an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing.

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 men, the ones between whom the controversy exists, must stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.

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

The judges must make diligent inquiries; see, if the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother,

19 then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to do unto his brother: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

then must you do to him, as he had wished to do to his brother; and you will remove the evil from among you.

20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.

Then those who remain will hear and fear, and will from then on commit no longer any such evil among you.

21 And thine eye shall not pity; life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Your eyes must not pity; life will pay for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.