Deuteronomy 19:1-10
Legacy Standard Bible
Statutes About Cities of Refuge
19 “(A)When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, 2 (B)you shall set apart three cities for yourself in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to [a]possess. 3 You shall prepare the [b]roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which Yahweh your God will give you to inherit, [c]so that any manslayer may flee there.
4 “(C)Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he strikes down his friend [d]without premeditation, [e]not hating him previously— 5 as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand [f]swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the [g]handle and [h]strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live; 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer when his heart is [i]angry, and overtake him, because the way is long, and [j]strike down his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously. 7 Therefore, I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall set apart three cities for yourself.’
8 “Now if Yahweh your God (D)enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He [k]promised to give to your fathers— 9 if you [l]be careful to do all this commandment which I am commanding you today, (E)to love Yahweh your God and to walk in His ways all your days—(F)then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10 So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance, and (G)bloodguiltiness be on you.
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- Deuteronomy 19:2 Lit possess it
- Deuteronomy 19:3 Lit road
- Deuteronomy 19:3 Lit and it shall be for every manslayer to flee there
- Deuteronomy 19:4 Lit without knowledge
- Deuteronomy 19:4 Lit and he was not hating him previously
- Deuteronomy 19:5 Lit is thrust with
- Deuteronomy 19:5 Lit wood
- Deuteronomy 19:5 Lit finds
- Deuteronomy 19:6 Or hot
- Deuteronomy 19:6 Lit strike him in the soul
- Deuteronomy 19:8 Lit spoke
- Deuteronomy 19:9 Lit keep...to do it
Deuteronomy 19:1-10
New Living Translation
Cities of Refuge
19 “When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he is giving you, you will take over their land and settle in their towns and homes. 2 Then you must set apart three cities of refuge in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 3 Survey the territory,[a] and divide the land the Lord your God is giving you into three districts, with one of these cities in each district. Then anyone who has killed someone can flee to one of the cities of refuge for safety.
4 “If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, the slayer may flee to any of these cities to live in safety. 5 For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.
6 “If the distance to the nearest city of refuge is too far, an enraged avenger might be able to chase down and kill the person who caused the death. Then the slayer would die unfairly, since he had never shown hostility toward the person who died. 7 That is why I am commanding you to set aside three cities of refuge.
8 “And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised them, 9 you must designate three additional cities of refuge. (He will give you this land if you are careful to obey all the commands I have given you—if you always love the Lord your God and walk in his ways.) 10 That way you will prevent the death of innocent people in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession. You will not be held responsible for the death of innocent people.
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- 19:3 Or Keep the roads in good repair.
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