Law Courts

If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge(A)—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults(B)—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.(C)

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But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name(A) there for his dwelling.(B) To that place you must go;

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11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests(A) what the law says:

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17 Do not show partiality(A) in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone,(B) for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”(C)

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“For the lips of a priest(A) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger(B) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.(C)

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That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.

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In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,(A) priests(B) and heads of Israelite families to administer(C) the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. 10 In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord;(D) otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.

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A Wise Ruling

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved(A) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom(B) from God to administer justice.

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17 the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges(A) who are in office at the time.

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This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.

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19 The avenger of blood(A) shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.(B) 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally(C) so that they die 21 or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;(D) that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood(E) shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

22 “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally(F) 23 or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, 24 the assembly(G) must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. 25 The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest,(H) who was anointed(I) with the holy oil.(J)

26 “‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. 28 The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.

29 “‘This is to have the force of law(K) for you throughout the generations to come,(L) wherever you live.(M)

30 “‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.(N)

31 “‘Do not accept a ransom(O) for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.

32 “‘Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their own land before the death of the high priest.

33 “‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land,(P) and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land(Q) where you live and where I dwell,(R) for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’”

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16 “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death.(A)

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11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone(A) accidentally(B) may flee.

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“If a thief is caught breaking in(A) at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;(B)

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28 “If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death,(A) and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible.

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22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely[a] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands(A) and the court allows.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 21:22 Or she has a miscarriage

20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result,

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Personal Injuries

12 “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death.(A) 13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place(B) I will designate. 14 But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,(C) that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.(D)

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26 They served as judges(A) for the people at all times. The difficult cases(B) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.(C)

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10 Do this so that innocent blood(A) will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.(B)

11 But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor,(C) and then flees to one of these cities,

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