⁵ “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die.

²⁸ “If an ox^[a] gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable. ²⁹ But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death.

Cases of Personal Injury

¹² “Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death.

⁹ Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!

³¹ Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death. ³² And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest. ³³ This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.^[a]

³⁵ As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.

Cleansing for Unsolved Murder

21 “When you are in the land the Lord your God is giving you, someone may be found murdered in a field, and you don’t know who committed the murder. ² In such a case, your elders and judges must measure the distance from the site of the crime to the nearby towns. ³ When the nearest town has been determined, that town’s elders must select from the herd a heifer that has never been trained or yoked to a plow. ⁴ They must lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and that has a stream running through it. There in the valley they must break the heifer’s neck. ⁵ Then the Levitical priests must step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in the Lord’s name. They are to decide all legal and criminal cases.

⁶ “The elders of the town must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken. ⁷ Then they must say, ‘Our hands did not shed this person’s blood, nor did we see it happen. ⁸ O Lord, forgive your people Israel whom you have redeemed. Do not charge your people with the guilt of murdering an innocent person.’ Then they will be absolved of the guilt of this person’s blood. ⁹ By following these instructions, you will do what is right in the Lord’s sight and will cleanse the guilt of murder from your community.

¹⁶ “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.^[a]

“Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.

¹³ “You must not murder.