New King James Version

Darby Bible Translation

Three Cities of Refuge

“When the Lord your God has 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,

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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,

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you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

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thou shalt separate three cities for thyself in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.

3

You 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.

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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.

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“And this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor [a]unintentionally, not having hated him in time past —

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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;

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as 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;

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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;

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lest 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.

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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.

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Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’

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Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thyself.

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“Now if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers,

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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

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and 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, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three,

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(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,

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lest 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.

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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.

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“But 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,

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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,

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then 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.

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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.

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Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall [b]put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

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Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.

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Property Boundaries

“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.

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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.

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The Law Concerning Witnesses

“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.

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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.

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If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

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If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of an offence;

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then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.

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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;

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And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,

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and the judges shall make thorough inquiry; and if the witness be a false witness, and he have testified falsely against his brother,

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then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.

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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.

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And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you.

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And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in thy midst.

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Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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And thine eye shall not spare: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Parallel

New King James Version

Darby Bible Translation

Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy 19