Deuteronomy 19:1-13 ▼

1 WHEN the LORD your God has destroyed the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you shall possess them and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

2 You shall set apart for you three cities in the midst of your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

3 You shall prepare for you a highway, and divide into three parts the land which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, that any slayer may flee thither.

4 And this is the law in the case of the slayer who kills his neighbor and flees there that he may live, whosoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, whom he hated not in time past;

5 And when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he lifts up his hand with the axe to cut down a tree, the iron head slips from the helve and strikes his neighbor so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities, and live;

6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his anger is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; though he was not worthy of death, because he hated him not in time past.

7 Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for you.

8 And when the LORD your God shall enlarge your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

9 If you shall keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in his ways always; then you shall add three cities more for you besides these three;

10 That innocent blood may not be shed in the land which the LORD your God gives you, and that the guilt of innocent blood not be upon you.

11 But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and attack him, and smite him mortally so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities;

12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him from there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, and he shall slay him.

13 Your eyes shall not pity him, but you shall kill him, and thus purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.