Deuteronomy 19
King James Version
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;
2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
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.
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;
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:
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.
7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
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;
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:
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.
Deuteronomy 19
Amplified Bible
Cities of Refuge
19 “When the Lord your God cuts off (destroys) the nations whose land He is giving you, and you dispossess them and live in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall designate three cities for yourself in the central area of the land, which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall prepare and maintain for yourself the roads [to these cities], and divide the territory of your land into three parts, so that anyone who kills another unintentionally may escape there [for asylum].
4 “Now this is the case of the offender (manslayer) who may escape there and live [protected from vengeance]: when he kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him previously— 5 as [for example] when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, but the iron head slips off the wooden handle and hits his companion and he dies—the offender may escape to one of these cities and live; 6 otherwise the [a]avenger of blood might pursue the offender in the heat of anger, and overtake him, because it is a long way, and take his life, even though he did not deserve to die, since he did not hate his neighbor beforehand. 7 Therefore, I command you, saying, ‘You shall set aside three cities [of refuge] for yourself.’
8 “If the Lord your God enlarges your border, as He has sworn to your fathers to do, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers— 9 if you keep and carefully observe all these commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God, and to walk [that is, to live each and every day] always in His ways—then you shall add three more cities [of refuge] for yourself, besides these three, 10 so that innocent blood will not be shed [by blood avengers] in your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and blood guilt will not be on you [for the death of an innocent man].
11 “But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait and ambush for him and attacks him and strikes him down so that he dies, and the assailant escapes to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his own city shall send for him and have him taken back from there and turn him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may be put to death. 13 You shall not pity him [the guilty one], but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well with you.
Laws of Landmark and Testimony
14 “You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the forefathers [who first divided the territory] have set, in the land which you will inherit in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
15 “A single witness shall not appear in a trial against a man for any wrong or any sin which he has committed; [only] [b]on the testimony or evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be confirmed. 16 If a malicious witness rises up against a man to [falsely] accuse him of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office at that time. 18 The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness, and he has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you. 20 Those who remain will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. 21 You shall not show pity [to the guilty one]: it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 19:6 The nearest male relative of the victim, known as the “kinsman-redeemer” (Heb go’el), was responsible to find the guilty party and put him to death (Num 35:19). The person who had committed the homicide was protected until his trial, so long as he remained in one of the three cities. After that, if he was judged innocent of any premeditation (like someone today judged guilty of manslaughter, but not murder), he was to remain in the city under protection from the avenger until the death of the high priest, at which time he could return to his home as a free man (Num 35:28).
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Lit in the mouth of.
Deuteronomio 19
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Ciudades de refugio
19 »(A)Cuando el Señor tu Dios destruya las naciones cuya tierra el Señor tu Dios te da, y las desalojes y habites en sus ciudades y en sus casas(B), 2 te reservarás tres ciudades(C) en medio de tu tierra que el Señor tu Dios te da en posesión[a]. 3 Prepararás los caminos[b], y dividirás en tres partes el territorio de tu tierra que el Señor tu Dios te dé en posesión, para que huya allí todo el que haya matado a alguien[c].
4 »Y este será el caso del que mató y que huye allí para vivir(D): cuando mate[d] a su amigo sin querer[e], sin haberlo odiado[f] anteriormente 5 (como cuando un hombre va al bosque con su amigo para cortar leña, y su mano blande el hacha para cortar el árbol, y el hierro salta del mango[g] y golpea[h] a su amigo, y este muere), él puede huir a una de estas ciudades y vivir. 6 No sea que el vengador de la sangre en el furor de su ira[i] persiga al que lo mató, y lo alcance porque el camino es largo, y le quite la vida[j] aunque él no merecía la muerte, porque no lo había odiado anteriormente.
7 »Por tanto, te ordeno: “Reservarás para ti tres ciudades”. 8 Si el Señor tu Dios ensancha tu territorio, como ha jurado a tus padres, y te da toda la tierra que ha prometido[k] dar a tus padres(E) 9 (si guardas cuidadosamente[l] todos estos mandamientos que te mando hoy, de amar al Señor tu Dios(F) y de andar siempre en Sus caminos), entonces te añadirás tres ciudades más, además de estas tres(G). 10 Así no se derramará sangre inocente en medio de tu tierra que el Señor tu Dios te da por heredad, y no seas culpable de derramar sangre[m](H).
11 »Pero si hay un hombre que odia a su prójimo, y acechándolo, se levanta contra él, lo hiere[n] y este muere, y después él huye a una de estas ciudades, 12 entonces los ancianos de su ciudad enviarán a sacarlo de allí, y lo entregarán en mano del vengador de la sangre para que muera(I). 13 No tendrás[o] piedad de él(J); sino que limpiarás de Israel la sangre del inocente(K), para que te vaya bien.
Ley de límites y de testigos
14 »No moverás los linderos de tu prójimo, fijados por los antepasados(L), en la herencia que recibirás en la tierra que el Señor tu Dios te da en posesión[p].
15 »No se levantará un solo testigo contra un hombre por cualquier iniquidad o por cualquier pecado que haya cometido[q]. El caso será confirmado(M) por el testimonio de dos o tres[r] testigos. 16 Si un testigo falso(N) se levanta contra un hombre para acusarlo[s] de transgresión[t], 17 los dos litigantes se presentarán delante del Señor, delante de los sacerdotes y de los jueces que haya en esos días(O). 18 Y los jueces investigarán minuciosamente(P); y si el testigo es un testigo falso y ha acusado a[u] su hermano falsamente, 19 entonces ustedes le harán a él lo que él intentaba hacer a su hermano(Q). Así quitarás el mal de en medio de ti. 20 Los demás oirán y temerán(R), y nunca más volverán a hacer una maldad semejante en medio de ti. 21 No tendrás[v] piedad(S): vida por vida(T), ojo por ojo, diente por diente(U), mano por mano, pie por pie.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomio 19:2 Lit. para poseerla.
- Deuteronomio 19:3 Lit. el camino para ti.
- Deuteronomio 19:3 Lit. y será para huir allí todo homicida.
- Deuteronomio 19:4 Lit. hiera.
- Deuteronomio 19:4 Lit. sin saber.
- Deuteronomio 19:4 Lit. y no estaba odiándolo.
- Deuteronomio 19:5 Lit. de la madera.
- Deuteronomio 19:5 Lit. encuentra.
- Deuteronomio 19:6 Lit. mientras su corazón esté encendido.
- Deuteronomio 19:6 Lit. lo hiera en el alma.
- Deuteronomio 19:8 Lit. ha hablado.
- Deuteronomio 19:9 Lit. para hacerlo.
- Deuteronomio 19:10 Lit. haya sobre ti sangre.
- Deuteronomio 19:11 Lit. lo hiere en el alma.
- Deuteronomio 19:13 Lit. Tu ojo no tendrá.
- Deuteronomio 19:14 Lit. para poseerla.
- Deuteronomio 19:15 Lit. pecado que él peca.
- Deuteronomio 19:15 Lit. en la boca de dos testigos o por la boca de tres.
- Deuteronomio 19:16 Lit. para testificar contra él.
- Deuteronomio 19:16 Lit. desviarse.
- Deuteronomio 19:18 Lit. testificado contra.
- Deuteronomio 19:21 Lit. tu ojo no tendrá.
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