^16 (A)“But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.

An Eye for an Eye

^17 (A)“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.

¹¹ “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him ^(A)and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, ¹² then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. ^13 (B)Your eye shall not pity him, ^(C)but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood^[a] from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

³⁰ “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the ^(A)evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. ³¹ Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. ³² And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. ³³ You shall not ^(B)pollute the land in which you live, for blood ^(C)pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except ^(D)by the blood of the one who shed it.

²² “But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him ^(A)without lying in wait ²³ or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, ²⁴ then ^(B)the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and ^(C)the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.

^12 (A)“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. ^13 (B)But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then ^(C)I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. ¹⁴ But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, ^(D)you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

⁵ And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: ^(A)from every beast I will require it and ^(B)from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.