When the LORD thy God
hath cut off
the nations
, whose land
the LORD
thy God
giveth
thee, and thou succeedest
them, and dwellest
in their cities
, and in their houses
;
Thou shalt separate three
cities
for thee in the midst
of thy land
, which the LORD
thy God
giveth
thee to possess
it.
Thou shalt prepare thee a way
, and divide the coasts
of thy land
, which the LORD
thy God
giveth thee to inherit
, into three parts
, that every slayer
may flee
thither.
And this is the case of the slayer
, which shall flee
thither, that he may live
: Whoso killeth
his neighbour
ignorantly
, whom he hated
not in time
past
;
As when a man 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 head
slippeth
from the helve
, and lighteth
upon his neighbour
, that he die
; he shall flee
unto one
of those cities
, and live
:
Lest the avenger of the blood
pursue
the slayer
, while
his heart
is hot
, and overtake
him, because the way
is long
, and slay
him
; whereas he was not worthy
of death
, inasmuch as
he hated
him not in time
past
.
Wherefore I command thee, saying
, Thou shalt separate
three
cities
for thee.
And if the LORD thy God
enlarge
thy coast
, as he hath sworn
unto thy fathers
, and give
thee all the land
which he promised
to give
unto thy fathers
;
If thou shalt keep all these commandments
to do
them, which I command
thee this day
, to love
the LORD
thy God
, and to walk
ever
in his ways
; then shalt thou add
three
cities
more for thee, beside these three
:
That innocent blood
be not shed
in
thy land
, which the LORD
thy God
giveth
thee for an inheritance
, and so blood
be upon thee.
But if any man hate
his neighbour
, and lie in wait
for him, and rise up
against him, and smite
him mortally
that he die
, and fleeth
into one
of these
cities
:
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
.
Thine eye shall not pity
him, but thou shalt put away
the guilt of innocent
blood
from Israel
, that it may go well
with thee.
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's
landmark
, which they of old time
have set
in thine inheritance
, which thou shalt inherit
in the land
that the LORD
thy God
giveth
thee to possess
it.
One witness
shall not rise up
against a man
for any iniquity
, or for any sin
, in any sin
that he sinneth
: at the mouth
of two
witnesses
, or at the mouth
of three
witnesses
, shall the matter
be established
.
If a false witness
rise up
against any man
to testify
against him that which is wrong
;
Then both the men
, between whom the controversy
is , shall stand
before
the LORD
, before
the priests
and the judges
, which shall be in those days
;
And the judges shall make diligent
inquisition
: and, behold, if the witness
be a false
witness
, and hath testified
falsely
against his brother
;
Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought
to have done
unto his brother
: so shalt thou put
the evil
away
from among
you.
And those which remain shall hear
, and fear
, and shall henceforth
commit
no more any
such evil
among
you.
And thine eye shall not pity
; but life
shall go for life
, eye
for eye
, tooth
for tooth
, hand
for hand
, foot
for foot
.