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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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 19
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.
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