1 When the LORD your God eliminates the nations whose land He is giving you, and you take possession of them and settle in their cities and houses,

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;

2 you are to set apart three cities in the midst of the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

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

3 Prepare roads for yourself and divide your land into three regions, the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills someone may flee there.

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.

4 Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: whoever strikes his neighbor unintentionally, without prior malice,

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;

5 for instance, when a man goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut wood and his hand swings the axe to cut the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his neighbor, and he dies—that man may flee to one of these cities and live.

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:

6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in anger, overtake him because the way is long, and strike him fatally, even though the manslayer does not deserve death, since he had no prior hatred towards his neighbor.

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.

7 This is why I am commanding you: Set apart three cities for yourselves.

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

8 And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your ancestors, and gives you the entire land He promised to give them,

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;

9 and you carefully keep this entire commandment I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to walk in His ways all your days, then you shall add three more cities to these three.

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 This is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood within the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

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 someone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, attacks him, and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and then flees to one of these cities,

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 the elders of his city shall send for him, take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to be put to death.

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 Do not pity him, but purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

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 Do not move your neighbor's boundary marker, established by the ancestors, in the inheritance you will receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

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 is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

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 malicious witness testifies against someone, accusing him of wrongdoing,

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

17 both parties to the dispute must stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office at that time.

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 The judges must investigate thoroughly, and if the witness proves to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,

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

19 you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.

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 Then the rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and they will never again commit such an evil thing among you.

And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

21 You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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