Deuteronomy
19:1 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;
19:2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land,
which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
19:3 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.
19:4 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;
19:5 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:
19:6 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.
19:7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for
thee.
19:8 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;
19:9 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:
19:10 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.
19:11 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:
19:12 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.
19:13 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.
19:14 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.
19:15 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.
19:16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that
which is wrong;
19:17 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;
19:18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the
witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his
brother;
19:19 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.
19:20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit
no more any such evil among you.
19:21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
