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Cities of Refuge
When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,
When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,
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,
then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
thou shalt separate three cities for thyself in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.
Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.
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.
This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety — anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.
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;
For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.
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;
Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.
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.
This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.
Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thyself.
If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them,
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
because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today — to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him — then you are to set aside three more cities.
(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,
Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
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.
But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor, and then flees to one of these cities,
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,
the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die.
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.
Show no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.
Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.
Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
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.
Witnesses
One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
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.
If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime,
If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of an offence;
the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.
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;
The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite,
and the judges shall make thorough inquiry; and if the witness be a false witness, and he have testified falsely against his brother,
then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.
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.
The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you.
And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in thy midst.