Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 19 ©

1 The cities of refuge. 4 The privilege thereof allowed to the manslayer; 11 but not to him that is guilty of wilful murder. 14 The landmark not to be removed. 15 Two witnesses at the least are required to prove a criminal fact. 16 The punishment of a false witness.

1

WHEN the LORD thy God ahath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou 1succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

2

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

3

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 cevery slayer may flee thither.

4

¶And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: dWhoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not 2in time past;

5

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 3head slippeth from the 4*helve, and 5lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; ehe shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

6

Lest the favenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and 6slay him; whereas he was gnot worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not 7in time past.

7

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

8

And if the LORD thy God henlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

9

If ithou 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; jthen shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

10

That kinnocent 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 lif any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him 8mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:

12

Then the elders of his city shall send mand fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

13

Thine neye shall not pity him, obut thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

14

¶Thou pshalt 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 qwitness 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 9wrong;

17

Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand rbefore the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

18

And the judges shall smake diligent *inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;

19

Then tshall 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 uhear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

21

And thine eye shall not pity; but vlife shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.