Deuteronomy 19
The Message
19 1-3 When God, your God, throws the nations out of the country that God, your God, is giving you and you settle down in their cities and houses, you are to set aside three easily accessible cities in the land that God, your God, is giving you as your very own. Divide your land into thirds, this land that God, your God, is giving you to possess, and build roads to the towns so that anyone who accidentally kills another can flee there.
4-7 This is the guideline for the murderer who flees there to take refuge: He has to have killed his neighbor without premeditation and with no history of bad blood between them. For instance, a man goes with his neighbor into the woods to cut a tree; he swings the ax, the head slips off the handle and hits his neighbor, killing him. He may then flee to one of these cities and save his life. If the city is too far away, the avenger of blood racing in hot-blooded pursuit might catch him since it’s such a long distance, and kill him even though he didn’t deserve it. It wasn’t his fault. There was no history of hatred between them. Therefore I command you: Set aside the three cities for yourselves.
8-10 When God, your God, enlarges your land, extending its borders as he solemnly promised your ancestors, by giving you the whole land he promised them because you are diligently living the way I’m commanding you today, namely, to love God, your God, and do what he tells you all your life; and when that happens, then add three more to these three cities so that there is no chance of innocent blood being spilled in your land. God, your God, is giving you this land as an inheritance—you don’t want to pollute it with innocent blood and bring guilt upon yourselves.
11-13 On the other hand, if a man with a history of hatred toward his neighbor waits in ambush, then jumps him, mauls and kills him, and then runs to one of these cities, that’s a different story. The elders of his own city are to send for him and have him brought back. They are to hand him over to the avenger of blood for execution. Don’t feel sorry for him. Clean out the pollution of wrongful murder from Israel so that you’ll be able to live well and breathe clean air.
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14 Don’t move your neighbor’s boundary markers, the longstanding landmarks set up by your pioneer ancestors defining their property.
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15 You cannot convict anyone of a crime or sin on the word of one witness. You need two or three witnesses to make a case.
16-21 If a hostile witness stands to accuse someone of a wrong, then both parties involved in the quarrel must stand in the Presence of God before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. The judges must conduct a careful investigation; if the witness turns out to be a false witness and has lied against his fellow Israelite, give him the same medicine he intended for the other party. Clean the polluting evil from your company. People will hear of what you’ve done and be impressed; that will put a stop to this kind of evil among you. Don’t feel sorry for the person: It’s life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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Deuteronomy 19
GOD’S WORD Translation
Criminal Laws
19 The Lord your God will destroy all the nations that are living in the land that he’s giving you. You will force them out and live in their cities and houses. 2 When all this is done, set aside three cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 3 Provide a route to each of these cities and divide the land that the Lord your God is giving you into three regions. Whoever kills someone may run to one of these cities.
4 A person who unintentionally kills someone he never hated in the past may run to one of these cities to save his life. 5 Suppose two people go into the woods to cut wood. As one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head flies off the handle, hits, and kills the other person. The one who accidentally killed the other person may run to one of these cities and save his life. 6 Otherwise, in a rage the relative who has the authority to avenge the death will pursue him. If the place is too far away, the relative may catch up with him and take his life even though he didn’t deserve the death penalty, because in the past he never hated the person he killed. 7 This is why I’m commanding you to set aside three cities for yourselves.
8 The Lord your God may expand your country’s borders as he promised your ancestors with an oath. He may give you the whole land he promised to give them. 9 He may do this because you faithfully obey all these commands I am now giving you—to love the Lord your God and follow his directions as long as you live. If this happens, you may add three more cities of refuge to these three. 10 That way, innocent people won’t be killed in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you won’t be guilty of murder.
11 Suppose someone hates another person, waits in ambush for him, attacks him, takes his life, and runs to one of these cities. 12 If someone does this, the leaders of your city must send for that person. They must take him from that city and hand him over to the relative who has the authority to avenge the death. He must die. 13 They must have no pity on him. The guilt of murdering an innocent person must be removed from Israel. Then things will go well for Israel.
14 Never move your neighbor’s original boundary marker on any property in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
15 One witness is never enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16 This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime. 17 The two people involved must stand in the Lord’s presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite, 19 then do to him what he planned to do to the other person. You must get rid of this evil. 20 When the rest of the people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Have no pity on him: ⌞Take⌟ a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.