Deuteronomy 19
19
Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge
1“When #ch. 12:29the Lord your God cuts 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, 14; Josh. 20:2, 8you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3You shall measure the distances#19:3 Hebrew road and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.
4“This is the provision for #ch. 4:42; Num. 35:15; Josh. 20:3, 5the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— 5as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, 6lest #Num. 35:12, 19, 21, 24, 25, 27the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. 7Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. 8#ch. 12:20 And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, #Ex. 34:24; [Ex. 23:31] as he has sworn to your fathers, and #See Gen. 15:18-21gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— 9provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—#ver. 2; [Josh. 20:7]then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.
11“But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him #ch. 27:24; Ex. 21:12, 14; See Num. 35:16-21and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13#See ch. 7:16 Your eye shall not pity him, #ch. 21:9; Num. 35:33; [1 Kgs. 2:31]but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood#19:13 Or the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
Property Boundaries
14 # ch. 27:17; Job 24:2; Prov. 22:28; 23:10; Hos. 5:10 “You shall not move your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
Laws Concerning Witnesses
15“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. #Cited Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; See Num. 35:30Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16If #[Ex. 23:1; Ps. 35:11]a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, #ch. 17:8, 9; [ch. 21:5]before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18The judges shall #ch. 13:14; 17:4inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19#Prov. 19:5, 9; [Dan. 6:24]then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil#19:19 Or evil person from your midst. 20And the rest #See ch. 13:11shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21#[See ver. 13 above] Your eye shall not pity. #See Ex. 21:23, 24It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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Deuteronomy 19: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Deuteronomy 19
19
Cities of Refuge
1“When Adonai your God cuts off the nations whose land Adonai your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and houses,
2you are to set apart three cities for yourself within the land He is giving you to possess.
3You are to prepare the way for yourself and divide into three parts the borders of your land that Adonai your God enables you to inherit, so that anyone who kills may flee there.
4Now this is the case of the one who kills, who may flee there and live—whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally and did not hate him in the past—
5as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand takes a swing with the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron flies off the wood and hits his neighbor so that he dies. He may flee to one of these cities and live.
6Otherwise if the way is long, the avenger of the blood, while his heart is hot, may chase the manslayer, catch up to him and strike him dead. Yet no death sentence is on him, since he did not hate him in the past.
7Therefore I am commanding you—set apart three cities for yourself.
8“Suppose Adonai your God enlarges your territory, as He has sworn to your fathers, and He gives you all the land that He promised to give to your fathers—
9when you take care to do all this mitzvah that I am commanding you today, to love Adonai your God and to always walk in His ways. Then you are to add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.
10Then innocent blood will not be shed within your land that Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance, and there would be blood upon you.
11“But suppose someone hates his neighbor, waits in hiding for him, rises up against him, strikes him dead, then flees to one of these cities.
12Then the elders of his hometown should send and take him from there and hand him over to the avenger of blood, to die.
13Your eye should not pity him, but you must purge the innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.
14“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker that the first generations marked out, in the inheritance you will receive in the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess.
15A single witness shall not rise up against a person for any offense or sin that he commits. By the word of two or three witnesses is a case to be established.
16Suppose a hostile witness rises up against someone to accuse him of wrongdoing.
17Then both people who have the dispute will stand before Adonai, before the kohanim and judges in charge at that time.
18The judges are to investigate thoroughly, and if indeed the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother,
19then you are to do to him just as he had plotted to do to his brother. So you will purge the evil from your midst.
20Those who remain will hear and be afraid, and they will no longer do such an evil thing as this in your midst.
21Your eye must not show pity—life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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