Deuteronomy 19:2-21 ▼

2 you shall separate for yourself three cities in the midst of your land that YHWH your God is giving you to possess.

3 You shall prepare for yourself the way and divide into three parts the territory of your land that YHWH your God is giving you to inherit, and it will be that any manslayer may flee there.

4 And this is the matter of the manslayer who flees there that he may live: Whoever strikes his neighbor without knowing, and he without having hated him from yesterday and the day before yesterday,

5 and he who goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut timber, and his hand swings 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,

6 lest the avenger of blood pursue after the manslayer while his anger is hot, and overtake him because the way is long, and kill him, and he did not have a sentence of death, since he had not hated him from yesterday and the day before yesterday.

7 Upon thus I command you, in saying, three cities you shall separate for yourself.

8 And if YHWH your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and He gives you all the land that He promised to give to your fathers,

9 and if you keep all this commandment and do it, that which I command you today, to love YHWH your God, and to walk in His ways all the days, then you shall add to yourself three more cities besides these three.

10 And innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land, which YHWH your God is giving you as an inheritance, and blood be upon you.

11 But if anyone comes to hate his neighbor, and he lies in wait for him and rises against him and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,

12 the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

13 Your eye shall not pity him, and you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

14 You shall not move a border of your neighbor, which the men of old have set in your inheritance that you will inherit in the land that YHWH your God is giving you to possess.

15 One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity, or any sin, in any sin that he commits. Upon the mouth of two witnesses or upon the mouth of three witnesses, a matter shall be established.

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

17 both the men between whom is the controversy shall stand before the face of YHWH, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.

18 And the judges shall make inquiry thoroughly, and behold, if the witness is a false witness—he has testified a falsehood against his brother—

19 then you? shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother, and you shall put away the evil from among you.

20 And those who remain shall hear and fear, and they shall add not to do this evil thing anymore among you.

21 And your eye shall not pity: Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.