Deuteronomy 19
19
The Cities of Refuge
(Num 35.9–34; Josh 20.1–9)
1“After the LORD your God has destroyed the people whose land he is giving you and after you have taken their cities and houses and settled there, 2-3divide the territory into three parts, each with a city that can be easily reached. Then anyone who kills someone will be able to escape to one of them for protection. 4If someone accidentally kills someone who is not an enemy, he may escape to any of these cities and be safe. 5For example, if two men go into the forest together to cut wood and if, as one of them is chopping down a tree, the head of the axe comes off the handle and kills the other, he can run to one of those three cities and be safe. 6If there were only one city, the distance to it might be too great, and the relative who is responsible for taking revenge for the killing might catch him and in his anger kill an innocent neighbour. After all, it was by accident that he killed his neighbour who was not his enemy. 7This is why I order you to set aside three cities.
8“When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he told your ancestors he would, and gives you all the land he has promised, 9then you are to select three more cities. (He will give you this land if you do everything that I command you today and if you love the LORD your God and live according to his teachings.) 10Do this, so that innocent people will not die and so that you will not be guilty of putting them to death in the land that the LORD is giving you.
11“But suppose someone deliberately murders an enemy in cold blood and then escapes to one of those cities for protection. 12In that case, the leaders of his own town are to send for him and hand him over to the relative responsible for taking revenge for the murder, so that he may be put to death. 13Show him no mercy. Rid Israel of this murderer, so that all will go well with you.
Ancient Boundaries
14 #
Deut 27.17
“Do not move your neighbour's boundary mark, established long ago in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Concerning Witnesses
15 #
Num 35.30; Deut 17.6; Mt 18.16; Jn 8.17; 2 Cor 13.1; 1 Tim 5.19; Heb 10.28 “One witness is not enough to convict a man of a crime; at least two witnesses are necessary to prove that a man is guilty. 16If someone tries to harm someone else by false accusation, 17both are to go to the one place of worship and be judged by the priests and judges who are then in office. 18The judges will investigate the case thoroughly; and if someone has made a false accusation against a fellow-Israelite, 19that person is to receive the punishment the accused would have received. In this way you will get rid of this evil. 20Then everyone else will hear what happened; they will be afraid, and no one will ever again do such an evil thing. 21#Ex 21.23–25; Lev 24.19–20; Mt 5.38In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.
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Deuteronomy 19: GNBDK
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Deuteronomy 19
19
Three Cities of Refuge
1“When the Lord your God #Deut. 12:29has 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. 21:13; Num. 35:10–15; Deut. 4:41; Josh. 20:2you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there.
4“And #Num. 35:9–34; Deut. 4:42this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him in time past— 5as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live; 6#Num. 35:12lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. 7Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’
8“Now if the Lord your God #Deut. 12:20enlarges your territory, as He swore to #Gen. 15:18–21your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, 9and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, #Josh. 20:7–9then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, 10#Num. 35:33; Deut. 21:1–9lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you.
11“But #Num. 35:16, 24; Deut. 27:24; (1 John 3:15)if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13#Deut. 13:8Your eye shall not pity him, #Num. 35:33, 34; 1 Kin. 2:31but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.
Property Boundaries
14#Deut. 27:17; Job 24:2; Prov. 22:28; Hos. 5:10“You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
The Law Concerning Witnesses
15#Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; Matt. 18:16; John 8:17; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. 16If a false witness #Ex. 23:1; Ps. 27:12; 35:11rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, #Deut. 17:8–11; 21:5before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19#Prov. 19:5; Dan. 6:24then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so #Deut. 13:5; 17:7; 21:21; 22:21you shall put away the evil from among you. 20#Deut. 17:13; 21:21And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. 21#Deut. 19:13Your eye shall not pity: #Ex. 21:23, 24; Lev. 24:20; Matt. 5:38, 39life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.