Deuteronomy 19
Lexham English Bible
19 “When Yahweh your God has exterminated[a] the nations concerning whom Yahweh your God is giving to you their land, and you have dispossessed them, and you have settled in their towns and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it. 3 You shall prepare the roads[b] for yourselves, and you shall divide the regions of your land into thirds that Yahweh your God gives you as a possession, so that it will be available for any manslayer to flee there.[c]
4 “Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live there who has killed his neighbor unintentionally,[d] and he did not hate him previously.[e] 5 For example,[f] when somebody goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut wood, and the iron head slips from the handle of the tool and strikes his neighbor and he dies, then he may flee to one of these cities, and so he may live. 6 He does this lest the avenger of blood might pursue after the killer, because he is hot with anger[g] and he overtakes him, because it is a long distance to the city of refuge, and so he kills him,[h] but he did not deserve a death sentence,[i] because he was not hating him before.[j] 7 Therefore I am commanding you, saying,[k] ‘You shall set apart three cities.’ 8 Then if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory just as he swore to your ancestors[l] and gives[m] to you all the land that he promised[n] to give to your ancestors,[o] 9 then if you diligently observe this entire commandment[p] that I am commanding you today[q] by loving Yahweh your God and by going[r] in his ways at all times,[s] then you shall add three more cities for yourselves to these three. 10 Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed[t] in the midst of your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance and thereby bloodguilt would be on you.[u]
11 But if someone hates[v] his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up[w] against him and murders him,[x] and the murderer flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and they shall give him into the hand of the avenger of blood, and he shall be put to death. 13 Your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that good will be directed toward you.[y]
14 “You shall not move the boundary marker of your neighbor that former generations[z] set up on your property in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it. 15 The testimony of a single witness may not be used to convict[aa] with respect to any crime and for any wrongdoing in any offense that a person[ab] committed; on the evidence[ac] of two witnesses or on the evidence[ad] of three witnesses a charge shall be sustained.[ae] 16 If a malicious witness[af] gets up to accuse[ag] anyone to testify against him falsely, 17 then the two men to whom the legal dispute pertains[ah] shall stand before[ai] Yahweh, before[aj] the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 Then judges shall make a thorough inquiry, and if it turns out[ak] that the witness is a false witness and he testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he meant[al] to do to his brother, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest[am] shall hear and shall fear, and they shall not continue to do such a thing again[an] as this evil thing in your midst. 21 You must show no pity:[ao] life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 19:1 Literally “cut off”
- Deuteronomy 19:3 Hebrew “road”
- Deuteronomy 19:3 Literally “it shall be to flee there all/anyone killing”
- Deuteronomy 19:4 Literally “with no knowledge”
- Deuteronomy 19:4 Literally “from yesterday and the day before”
- Deuteronomy 19:5 Literally “And as”
- Deuteronomy 19:6 Literally “is hot his heart”
- Deuteronomy 19:6 Literally “he strikes him down as to his life/soul”
- Deuteronomy 19:6 Literally “for him there was not a judgment of death”
- Deuteronomy 19:6 Literally “from yesterday and the day before”
- Deuteronomy 19:7 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 19:8 Or “fathers”
- Deuteronomy 19:8 Hebrew “will give”
- Deuteronomy 19:8 Literally “spoke”
- Deuteronomy 19:8 Or “fathers”
- Deuteronomy 19:9 Literally “if you observe all of the commandment the this to do it”
- Deuteronomy 19:9 Literally “the day”
- Deuteronomy 19:9 Or “walking”
- Deuteronomy 19:9 Literally “all of the days”
- Deuteronomy 19:10 Hebrew “is not shed”
- Deuteronomy 19:10 Hebrew “shall be on you,” but conditional sense of imperfect is clear
- Deuteronomy 19:11 Hebrew “is hating”
- Deuteronomy 19:11 Or “gets up”
- Deuteronomy 19:11 Literally “and strikes him mortally with regard to his life and he dies”
- Deuteronomy 19:13 Literally “and good shall be for you” or “it shall be good for you”
- Deuteronomy 19:14 Literally “the first settlers/ancestors”
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Literally “Not shall get up only a single witness against a man”
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Hebrew “he”
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Literally “mouth”
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Literally “mouth”
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Literally “shall be established a case/charge”
- Deuteronomy 19:16 Literally “a witness of violence”
- Deuteronomy 19:16 Literally “against”
- Deuteronomy 19:17 Literally “who for them are the legal dispute”
- Deuteronomy 19:17 Literally “to the face of”
- Deuteronomy 19:17 Literally “to the face of”
- Deuteronomy 19:18 Or “in fact”
- Deuteronomy 19:19 Or “planned”
- Deuteronomy 19:20 Literally “and those remaining”
- Deuteronomy 19:20 Literally “and they shall not do again to do again”
- Deuteronomy 19:21 Literally “And not take pity your eye”
Deuteronomy 19
American Standard Version
19 When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; 2 thou shalt set apart three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it. 3 Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Jehovah thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.
4 And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past; 5 as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the [a]head slippeth from [b]the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, so that he dieth; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live: 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt set apart three cities for thee. 8 And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, 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 this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three: 10 that [c]innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11 But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he dieth, and he flee 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 [d]the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah 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 a matter be established. 16 If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of [e]wrong-doing, 17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days; 18 and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and have testified falsely against his brother; 19 then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to do unto his brother: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. 20 And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee. 21 And thine eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 19:5 Hebrew iron.
- Deuteronomy 19:5 Or, the tree
- Deuteronomy 19:10 Or, the blood of an innocent man
- Deuteronomy 19:13 Or, the blood of the innocent
- Deuteronomy 19:16 Or, rebellion. See 13:5.
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