Three Cities of Refuge(A)

19 “When the Lord your God (B)has cut off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, (C)you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there.

“And (D)this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor [a]unintentionally, not having hated him in time past— as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live; (E)lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’

“Now if the Lord your God (F)enlarges your territory, as He swore to (G)your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, (H)then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, 10 (I)lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

11 “But (J)if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 (K)Your eye shall not pity him, (L)but you shall [b]put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

Property Boundaries

14 (M)“You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

The Law Concerning Witnesses

15 (N)“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. 16 If a false witness (O)rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, (P)before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 (Q)then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so (R)you shall put away the evil from among you. 20 (S)And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. 21 (T)Your eye shall not pity: (U)life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:4 ignorantly, lit. without knowledge
  2. Deuteronomy 19:13 purge the blood of the innocent

19 Pagka ihihiwalay ng Panginoon mong Dios ang mga bansa, na lupaing ibinibigay sa iyo ng Panginoon mong Dios, at hahalili ka sa kanila, at iyong tatahanan ang kanilang mga bayan, at ang kanilang mga bahay;

Ay maghihiwalay ka para sa iyo ng tatlong bayan sa gitna ng iyong lupain, na ibinibigay sa iyo ng Panginoon mong Dios upang ariin.

Ikaw ay maghahanda sa iyo ng daan, at pagtatluhin mong bahagi ang mga hangganan ng iyong lupain, na ipinamamana sa iyo ng Panginoon mong Dios, upang matakasan ng bawa't nakamatay tao.

At ito ang bagay ng nakamatay tao, na tatakas doon at mabubuhay: sinomang makapatay sa kaniyang kapuwa ng di sinasadya, at hindi niya kinapopootan ng panahong nakaraan;

Gaya ng isang tao na yumaon sa gubat na kasama ang kaniyang kapuwa upang pumutol ng kahoy, at sa kamay niya na pumapalakol upang pumutol ng kahoy, ay humagpos ang patalim sa tatangnan, at bumagsak sa kaniyang kapuwa, na anopa't mamatay; ay tatakas siya sa isa sa mga bayang yaon at siya'y mabubuhay:

Baka habulin ng tagapanghiganti sa dugo ang nakamatay, samantalang ang puso'y nagaalab, at siya'y kaniyang abutan, sapagka't ang daan ay mahaba, at siya'y saktan ng malubha; na siya'y di marapat patayin, sapagka't hindi niya kinapopootan nang panahong nakaraan.

Kaya't iniuutos ko sa iyo, na sinasabi, Maghihiwalay ka para sa iyo ng tatlong bayan.

At kung palakihin ng Panginoon mong Dios ang iyong hangganan gaya ng kaniyang isinumpa sa iyong mga magulang, at ibigay niya sa iyo ang buong lupain na kaniyang ipinangakong ibibigay sa iyong mga magulang;

Kung iyong isasagawa ang buong utos na ito, na aking iniuutos sa iyo sa araw na ito, na ibigin ang Panginoon mong Dios, at lumakad kailan man sa kaniyang mga daan; ay magdadagdag ka pa nga ng tatlong bayan sa iyo, bukod sa tatlong ito:

10 Upang huwag mabubo ang dugong walang sala sa gitna ng iyong lupain, na ibinibigay sa iyo na pinakamana ng Panginoon mong Dios, at sa gayo'y maging salarin ka sa iyo.

11 Nguni't kung ang sinoman ay mapoot sa kaniyang kapuwa, at pag-abangan niya siya, at siya'y tumindig laban sa kaniya, at saktan niya siya ng malubha, na anopa't mamatay; at siya'y tumakas sa isa sa mga bayang ito:

12 Ay magsusugo nga ang mga matanda sa kaniyang bayan at kukunin siya roon, at ibibigay siya sa kamay ng tagapanghiganti sa dugo, upang siya'y mamatay.

13 Ang iyong mata'y huwag mahahabag sa kaniya; kundi aalisin mo sa Israel ang dugong walang sala, upang ikabuti mo.

14 Huwag mong babaguhin ang lindero ng iyong kapuwa, na kanilang inilagay ng una, sa iyong mana na iyong mamanahin, sa lupain na ibinibigay sa iyo ng Panginoon mong Dios upang ariin.

15 Isang saksi ay huwag titindig laban sa kanino man sa anomang kasamaan, o sa anomang kasalanang kaniyang pinagkasalahan: sa bibig ng dalawang saksi, o sa bibig ng tatlong saksi ay pagtitibayin ang usap.

16 Kung ang isang sinungaling na saksi ay tumindig laban sa kanino man upang sumaksi laban sa kaniya ng isang masamang gawa,

17 Ang dalawang taong naguusapin ay tatayo sa harap ng Panginoon, sa harap ng mga saserdote at ng mga magiging hukom sa mga araw na yaon;

18 At sisiyasating masikap ng mga hukom: at, narito, kung ang saksi ay saksing sinungaling, at sumaksi ng kasinungalingan laban sa kaniyang kapatid;

19 Ay gagawin mo nga sa kaniya, ang gaya ng kaniyang inisip gawin sa kaniyang kapatid: sa gayo'y iyong aalisin ang kasamaan sa gitna mo.

20 At maririnig niyaong mga natitira at matatakot, at hindi na sila magkakamit pa ng gayong kasamaan sa gitna mo.

21 At ang iyong mata'y huwag mahahabag: buhay kung buhay, mata kung mata, ngipin kung ngipin, kamay kung kamay, paa kung paa.

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;

Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

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.

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;

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:

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.

Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

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;

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.