Deuteronomy 19

Cities of Refuge

Nu 35:6–34; Dt 4:41–43; Jos 20:1–9

1#Dt 12:29; 6:10When the Lord your God has cut off the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses, 2#Ex 21:13you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the midst of your land, which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3You shall prepare a roadway for yourself, and divide the territory of your land into three parts, which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, so that every manslayer may flee there.

4#Nu 35:15–24; Dt 4:42This is the word concerning the manslayer who will flee there, so that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, whom he did not hate previously, 5like when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand raises the axe to cut down the tree, and the axe head slips from the handle and lands on his neighbor causing him to die, then he may flee to one of those cities, and live. 6#Nu 35:12Otherwise the avenger of blood might, while he is angry, pursue the manslayer and overtake him (because the way is long) and kill him, even though he was not worthy of death (since he did not hate him previously). 7Therefore, I command you, saying, “You shall set apart three cities for yourselves.”

8#Ge 15:18–21; Ex 23:31If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as He promised your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers, 9#Jos 20:7–8and if you will carefully keep all these commandments, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to always walk in His ways, then you must add three cities more for yourself, besides these three. 10Then innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and blood guiltiness be on you.

11#Nu 35:16–21; Dt 27:24But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and mortally strikes him, causing him to die, and flees to one of these cities, 12then the elders of his city must send and fetch him from there, and deliver him to the hand of the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13#1Ki 2:31; Dt 7:2Your eye must not pity him, but you must remove the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

14#Dt 27:17; Pr 22:28You 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 the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

Witnesses

15#Nu 35:30; Mt 18:16A single witness must not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin that he sins. At the testimony of two witnesses or at the testimony of three witnesses shall the matter be established.

16#Ps 27:12; 35:11If a false witness rises up against any man to testify against him to accuse him of doing wrong, 17#Dt 17:9; 21:5then both the men between whom the controversy is must stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, who are in office those days. 18#Dt 13:14; 17:4The judges will thoroughly investigate, and if the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother, 19#Pr 19:5; 19:9then you must do to him as he conspired to have done to his brother. In this way you must remove the evil from among you. 20#Dt 17:13; 21:21Those who remain will hear and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you. 21#Dt 19:13You must not show pity. But life will be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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Deuteronomy 19: MEV

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Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 19

1When יהוה your Elohim cuts off the nations whose land יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,”

2separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess.

3“Prepare a way for yourself, and divide into three parts the border of your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to inherit, that any man-slayer shall flee there.

4And this matter of the man-slayer who flees there and lives: he who strikes his neighbour unknowingly, not having hated him in time past,”

5even he who goes to the forest with his neighbour to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbour so that he dies – let him flee to one of these cities and live,

6lest the revenger of blood, while his displeasure is hot, pursue the man-slayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and shall strike his being, though he was not worthy of death, since he had not hated him before.

7“Therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘Separate three cities for yourself.’

8And if יהוה your Elohim enlarges your border, as He swore to your fathers, and has given you the land which He promised to give to your fathers - ”

9when you guard all this command to do it, which I am commanding you today, to love יהוה your Elohim and to walk in His ways all the days – then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three,

10so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance, or blood-guilt shall be upon you.

11“But when anyone hates his neighbour, and shall lie in wait for him and rise against him and strike his being so that he dies, then he shall flee to one of these cities,

12and the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and give him into the hand of the revenger of blood, and he shall die.

13“Your eye shall not pardon him, but you shall purge the blood of innocent blood from Yisra’ĕl, so that it might be well with you.

14“Do not remove your neighbour’s boundary, which those in the past have set, in your inheritance which you inherit in the land that יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess.

15“One witness does not rise up against a man concerning any crookedness or any sin that he commits. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses a matter is established.

16“When a malicious witness rises up against any man to accuse him of turning aside,

17then both men who have the dispute shall stand before יהוה, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.

18And the judges shall diligently search and see if the witness is a false witness, who has falsely accused his brother,”

19then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.

20“And let the rest hear and fear, and never again do this evil matter in your midst.

21“And let your eye not pardon, life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.