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逃城的設立(A)

19 「耶和華—你的 神將列國剪除,他們的地耶和華—你 神已賜給你,你又趕出他們,並且住在他們的城鎮和房屋, 那時,你要在耶和華—你 神所賜你為業的地上,為自己指定三座城。 你要預備道路,將耶和華—你 神使你承受為業的地分為三區,使任何一個殺人的可以逃到那裏去。

「殺人的逃到那裏得以存活的案例是這樣:凡素無仇恨,無意中殺了鄰舍的, 就如人與鄰舍同入林中伐木,手拿斧子一砍,本想砍下樹木,斧頭卻脫了把,飛落在鄰舍身上,以致那人死去,這人就可以逃到那些城中的一座,得以存活, 免得報血仇的心中發火,去追趕那殺了人的,因為路途遙遠就能追上他,把他殺死。其實他是不該死的,因為他與被殺者素無仇恨。 所以我吩咐你說,要為自己指定三座城。 耶和華—你的 神若照他向你列祖所起的誓擴張你的疆土,將所應許賜你列祖的全地給你, 你若謹守遵行我今日所吩咐的這一切誡命,愛耶和華—你的 神,天天遵行他的道,就要在這三座城之外,再添三座城, 10 免得無辜人的血流在耶和華—你 神所賜你為業的地中間,血就歸到你身上了。

11 「若有人恨他的鄰舍,埋伏等着,起來擊殺他,把他殺死,然後逃到這些城中的一座, 12 他本城的長老就要派人去,從那裏把他帶出來,交在報血仇者的手中,把他處死。 13 你的眼不可顧惜他,要從以色列中除掉流無辜血的罪,使你得福。」

地界

14 「在耶和華—你 神所賜你承受為業,所分得的地上,不可挪移你鄰舍的地界,因為這是前人所定的。」

證人的條例

15 「人無論犯甚麼罪,作甚麼惡,不可單憑一個人的見證,總要憑兩個證人的口或三個證人的口才可定案。 16 若有人懷惡意,起來作證,控告他人犯法, 17 這兩個爭訟的人就要站在耶和華面前,和當時的祭司與審判官面前, 18 審判官要細心調查。看哪,證人作的是偽證,要用偽證陷害弟兄, 19 你們就要對付他如同他想要對付的弟兄一樣。這樣,你就把惡從你中間除掉。 20 其他的人聽見就害怕,不敢在你中間再行這樣的惡事了。 21 你的眼不可顧惜,要以命償命,以眼還眼,以牙還牙,以手還手,以腳還腳。」

19 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:

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

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;

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 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.

20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

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.

Three Cities of Refuge(A)

19 “When the Lord your God (B)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, (C)you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 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.

“And (D)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— 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; (E)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. Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’

“Now if the Lord your God (F)enlarges your territory, as He swore to (G)your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, 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, (H)then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, 10 (I)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.

11 “But (J)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, 12 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. 13 (K)Your eye shall not pity him, (L)but you shall [b]put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

Property Boundaries

14 (M)“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.

The Law Concerning Witnesses

15 (N)“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. 16 If a false witness (O)rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, (P)before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 (Q)then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so (R)you shall put away the evil from among you. 20 (S)And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. 21 (T)Your eye shall not pity: (U)life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:4 ignorantly, lit. without knowledge
  2. Deuteronomy 19:13 purge the blood of the innocent

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge

19 “When (A)the Lord your God cuts 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, (B)you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall measure the distances[a] and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

“This is the provision for (C)the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, lest (D)the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. (E)And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, (F)as he has sworn to your fathers, and (G)gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—(H)then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him (I)and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 (J)Your eye shall not pity him, (K)but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood[b] from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Property Boundaries

14 (L)“You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

Laws Concerning Witnesses

15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. (M)Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If (N)a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, (O)before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall (P)inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 (Q)then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil[c] from your midst. 20 And the rest (R)shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 (S)Your eye shall not pity. (T)It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:3 Hebrew road
  2. Deuteronomy 19:13 Or the blood of the innocent
  3. Deuteronomy 19:19 Or evil person