Deuteronomy 19
JPS Tanakh (Jewish Publication Society, 1917)
Berean Standard Bible
1When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;
1When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,
2thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy GOD giveth thee to possess it.
2then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
3Thou 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.
3You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.
4And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past;
4Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:
5as 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;
5If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.
6lest 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 deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
6Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.
7Wherefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.'
7This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.
8And 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 —
8And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,
9if 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;
9and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.
10that 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.
10Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
11But 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;
11If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,
12then 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.
12the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.
13Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
13You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.
14Thou 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.
14You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
15One 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 establishment
15A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness against him;
16If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,
17then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.
17both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.
18And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
18The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,
19then shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.
20And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.
20Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.
21And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
21You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
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