Deuteronomy 19

Wycliffe Bible

19 When thy Lord God hath destroyed the folks, whose land he shall give to thee, and thou hast wielded it, and hast dwelled in the cities, and in [the] houses thereof;

² thou shalt separate three cities to thee in the midst of the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee into possession. (thou shalt set apart three cities for thee in the midst of the land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee for a possession.)

³ Thou shalt make ready diligently the way, and thou shalt part evenly into three parts all the province(s) of thy land, that he that is exiled for manslaying, have nigh (at) hand whither he may escape. (Thou shalt diligently make ready the way, and thou shalt evenly divide all the provinces of thy land into three parts, so that anyone who is exiled for manslaughter, shall have a place close at hand to which they can escape.)

⁴ This shall be the law of a manslayer fleeing, whose life shall be kept. If a man smiteth unwittingly his neighbour, and which is proved to have not had any hatred against him yesterday, and the third day ago, (This shall be the law for anyone fleeing manslaughter, whose life shall be saved. If anyone unwittingly, or unintentionally, striketh down his neighbour, and is proved to have not had any hatred against him yesterday, and the third day ago,)

⁵ but to have gone simply with him into the wood to hew down trees, and in the felling down of trees the ax flieth from his hand, and the iron slideth from the helve, and smiteth, and slayeth his friend; this man shall flee to one of the foresaid cities, and shall live; (but simply to have gone into the woods with him to cut down some trees, and in the felling down of the trees, the ax flieth out of his hand, and the iron slideth from the helve, and striketh, and killeth his friend; this person shall flee to one of the foresaid cities, and shall be safe there;)

⁶ lest peradventure the next kinsman of him, whose blood is shed out, be pricked with sorrow, and pursue, and (over)take him, if the way is longer, and slay his life, that is not guilty of death; for it is showed that he had not any hatred before against him that is slain. (lest the next of kin of him whose blood is shed out, be pricked with sorrow, and he pursue the killer, and overtake him, because the way is long, and then take the life of him who is truly not guilty of murder; for it was shown that he had no hatred before against that person who was killed.)

⁷ Therefore I command to thee, that thou separate three cities of even space betwixt themselves. (And so I command thee to set apart three cities with even space between them.)

⁸ Forsooth when thy Lord God hath alarged thy terms, as he swore to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which he promised to them;

⁹ if nevertheless thou keepest his commandments, and doest those things which I command to thee today, that thou love thy Lord God, and go in his ways in all time (so that thou love the Lord thy God, and go in his ways at all times), (then) thou shalt add to thee three other cities, and (so) thou shalt double the number of the foresaid cities,

¹⁰ that guiltless blood be not shed out in the midst of the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee to have in possession, lest thou be guilty of blood. (so that innocent blood be not shed out in the midst of the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee to have for a possession, and that thou be guilty of shedding that innocent blood.)

¹¹ Forsooth if any man hateth his neighbour, and setteth ambushes to his life, and riseth up against him privily, and smiteth him, and he is dead (and he dieth), and the manslayer fleeth to one of the foresaid cities,

¹² the elder men of that city shall send (for), and take him from the place of refuge; and they shall betake him into the hand of the next kinsman of him, whose blood is shed out, and he shall die, (the elders of that city shall send for him, and shall bring him back from the place of refuge; and they shall deliver him into the hands of the next of kin of him whose blood was shed out, and he shall die/and he shall be put to death,)

¹³ and thou shalt not have mercy upon him; and thou shalt do away guilty blood from Israel, that it be well to thee. (and thou shalt not give him any mercy; and so thou shalt do away from Israel the guilt for innocent blood, so that it be well with thee.)

¹⁴ Thou shalt not take, and turn over, the terms of thy neighbour, which the former men set in thy possession, which thy Lord God shall give to thee in the land, which land thou shalt take to be wielded. (Thou shalt not take away, or turn over, thy neighbour’s boundary stones, which the people in former times put there in thy possession, which the Lord thy God shall give thee, in the land which thou shalt take for thyselves.)

¹⁵ One witness shall not stand against any man, whatever thing it is of sin, and of wickedness; but each word shall stand in the mouth of twain, either of three witnesses. (One witness shall not convict anyone, whatever his sin, or wickedness; but each charge must be established by the testimony of two, or three, witnesses.)

¹⁶ If a false witness standeth against a man, and accuseth him of breaking of the law,

¹⁷ both they, of whom the cause is, shall stand before the Lord, in the sight of priests, and of judges, that be in those days. (then both of the people who be in dispute, shall stand before the Lord, in the sight of the priests, and the judges, who then be in office.)

¹⁸ And when they seeking the cause most diligently (And if, after they have studied the case most diligently), (they) have found that the false witness said a lie against his brother,

¹⁹ they shall yield to him, as he thought to have done to his brother; and (so) thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee,

²⁰ that other men hear, and have dread, and be no more hardy to do such things (so that other people can hear, and have fear, and no more be so fool-hardy to do such things). Thou shalt not have mercy on him,

²¹ but thou shalt ask life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.