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Cities of Refuge
When Jehovah thy God hath cut off the nations whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou hast dispossessed them, and dwellest in their cities and in their houses,
When Jehovah thy God hath cut off the nations whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou hast dispossessed them, and dwellest in their cities and in their houses,
Cities of Refuge
“When the LORD your God destroys the nations whose land he is giving you, you will take over their land and settle in their towns and homes.
“When the LORD your God destroys the nations whose land he is giving you, you will take over their land and settle in their towns and homes.
thou shalt separate three cities for thyself in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.
Then you must set apart three cities of refuge in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the territory of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, so that every slayer may flee thither.
And this is the case of the slayer who shall flee thither that he may live: he that smiteth his neighbour unwittingly, whom he hated not previously;
“If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, the slayer may flee to any of these cities to live in safety.
as when he goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron slippeth from the handle, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; such an one shall flee unto one of these cities, and live;
For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.
lest 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 worthy of death, since he hated him not previously.
“If the distance to the nearest city of refuge is too far, an enraged avenger might be able to chase down and kill the person who caused the death. Then the slayer would die unfairly, since he had never shown hostility toward the person who died.
Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thyself.
That is why I am commanding you to set aside three cities of refuge.
And if Jehovah 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
“And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised them,
(if thou keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in his ways continually), then shalt thou add three cities more for thyself to these three,
you must designate three additional cities of refuge. (He will give you this land if you are careful to obey all the commands I have given you — if you always love the LORD your God and walk in his ways.)
that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and blood come not upon thee.
That way you will prevent the death of innocent people in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession. You will not be held responsible for the death of innocent people.
But if a 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,
“But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge.
then 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.
In that case, the elders of the murderer’s hometown must send agents to the city of refuge to bring him back and hand him over to the dead person’s avenger to be put to death.
Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.
Do not feel sorry for that murderer! Purge from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people; then all will go well with you.
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.
Concern for Justice
“When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone’s land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property.
The Testimony of Witnesses
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, and 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 established.
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, and 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 established.
“You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of an offence;
“If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime,
then both the men between whom the controversy is shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days;
then both the accuser and accused must appear before the LORD by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time.
and the judges shall make thorough inquiry; and if the witness be a false witness, and he have testified falsely against his brother,
The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite,
then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.
you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you.
And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in thy midst.
Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an evil thing.