5 Mosebok 19

1 Når Herren din Gud utrydder de folk hvis land Herren din Gud gir dig, og du driver dem ut og bor i deres byer og i deres huser,

“When the Lord your God will have destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to you, and when you possess it and live in its cities and buildings,

2 så skal du skille ut tre byer midt i det land som Herren din Gud gir dig til eie.

you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,

3 Du skal gjøre veien til dem i stand og skifte hele det land som Herren din Gud gir dig til arv, i tre deler, forat enhver manndraper kan fly dit.

paving the road carefully. And you shall divide the entire province of your land equally into three parts, so that he who is forced to flee because of manslaughter may have a place nearby to which he may be able to escape.

4 Og således skal det være med den manndraper som skal kunne fly dit og berge livet: Når nogen dreper sin næste av vanvare og uten å ha hatet ham i forveien,

This shall be the law of the killer who flees, whose life is to be saved. Whoever strikes down his neighbor unwillingly, and who has been proven to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before,

5 som når en går med sin næste ut i skogen for å hugge tømmer og han hugger til med øksen for å felle et tre, men øksen farer av skaftet og treffer hans næste, så han dør, da kan han fly til en av disse byer og berge livet.

such that he had gone with him into the forest simply to cut wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipped from his hand, or the iron slipped from the handle, and it struck his friend and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities stated above, and he shall live.

6 For blodhevneren kunde ellers i sin brennende vrede forfølge manndraperen og, hvis veien var for lang, nå ham igjen og slå ham ihjel, skjønt han ikke var skyldig til døden, fordi han ikke hadde båret hat til ham i forveien.

Otherwise, perhaps the near relative of him whose blood was shed, impelled by his grief, might pursue and apprehend him, unless the way is too long, and he might strike down the life of him who is not guilty unto death, since he had demonstrated that he had no prior hatred against him who was slain.

7 Derfor byder jeg dig og sier: Du skal skille ut tre byer.

For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.

8 Og når Herren din Gud utvider dine landemerker, således som han har tilsvoret dine fedre, og han gir dig hele det land han har lovt å gi dine fedre,

And when the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he swore to your fathers, and when he will have given to you all the land that he has promised to them,

9 såfremt du akter vel på å holde alle disse bud som jeg gir dig idag, så du elsker Herren din Gud og vandrer på hans veier alle dager - da skal du legge ennu tre byer til disse tre,

(but this is only so if you will keep his commandments and do the things which I instruct to you this day, so that you love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways at all times) you shall add for yourselves three other cities, and so you shall double the number of the three cities stated above.

10 forat der ikke skal utøses uskyldig blod i det land som Herren din Gud gir dig til arv, så det kommer blodskyld over dig.

So may innocent blood not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord your God will give you to possess, lest you be guilty of blood.

11 Men om en mann hater sin næste og lurer på ham og faller over ham og slår ham, så han dør, og han så flyr til en av disse byer,

But if anyone, having hatred for his neighbor, will have lain in ambush for his life, and, rising up, will have struck him, and he will have died, and if he will have fled to one of the cities stated above,

12 da skal de eldste i hans by sende bud og hente ham derfra og overgi ham i blodhevnerens hånd, og han skal dø.

the elders of his city shall send, and they shall take him from the place of refuge, and they shall deliver him into the hand of the relative of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

13 Du skal ikke spare ham, men du skal rense Israel for uskyldig blod, forat det må gå dig vel.

You shall not take pity on him, and so shall you take away the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

14 Du skal ikke flytte merkestenene mellem dig og din næste, de som de gamle har satt på den jord du skal få i arv i det land Herren din Gud gir dig til eie.

You shall not take up or move the landmark of your neighbor, which those before you have placed, in your possession that the Lord your God will give to you, in the land you will receive to possess.

15 Det skal ikke stå bare ett vidne frem mot en mann, når det gjelder nogen misgjerning eller nogen synd, hvad synd det så er han har gjort; efter to vidners utsagn eller efter tre vidners utsagn skal en sak stå fast.

One witness shall not stand against another, no matter what the sin or outrage may be. For every word shall stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

16 Når et ondsindet vidne står frem mot nogen for å vidne mot ham om en forbrytelse,

If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,

17 da skal begge de menn som har sak mot hverandre, trede frem for Herrens åsyn, for prestene og dommerne som er i de dager,

both of those whose case it is shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges who shall be in those days.

18 og dommerne skal nøie granske saken; er da vidnet et falskt vidne, har han vidnet falsk mot sin bror,

And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,

19 da skal I gjøre mot ham som han hadde tenkt å gjøre mot sin bror; således skal du rydde det onde bort av din midte,

they shall render to him just as he intended to do to his brother. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.

20 forat de andre må høre det og frykte, så de ikke mere gjør nogen sådan ond gjerning i din midte.

Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.

21 Du skal ingen spare: Liv for liv, øie for øie, tann for tann, hånd for hånd, fot for fot!

You shall not take pity on him. Instead, you shall require a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.”