Deuteronomy 19:3
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.
Additional Resources
Other Translations
King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)
Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divi the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.
KJV1611 – Modern English
You shall prepare a road for yourself, and divide the territory of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, into three parts, so that every manslayer may flee there.
King James Version 1611 (Original)
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.
Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)
thou shalt prepare the waye and deuyde the costes of thy lande whiche the Lorde thy God geueth the to enheret, in to.iij. partes that whosoeuer committeth murthur may flee thither.
Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt prepare the waye, and parte the coastes of yi londe (which ye LORDE thy God shal deuyde out vnto the) in to thre partes, that whosoeuer hath commytted a slaughter, maye flie thither.
Geneva Bible (1560)
Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and deuide the coastes of the land, which the Lorde thy God giueth thee to inherite, into three parts, that euery manslaier may flee thither.
Bishops' Bible (1568)
Thou shalt prepare the way, and deuide the coastes of thy lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to inherite, into three partes, that whosoeuer committeth murther, may flee thyther.
Authorized King James Version (1611)
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.
Webster's Bible (1833)
You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.
Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)
Thou dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.
American Standard Version (1901)
Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Jehovah thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.
American Standard Version (1901)
Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Jehovah thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.
Bible in Basic English (1941)
You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight.
World English Bible (2000)
You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.
NET Bible® (New English Translation)
You shall build a roadway and divide into thirds the whole extent of your land that the LORD your God is providing as your inheritance; anyone who kills another person should flee to the closest of these cities.
Referenced Verses
- Isa 57:14 : 14 And it will be said: 'Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.'
- Isa 62:10 : 10 Pass through, pass through the gates! Clear the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway; remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations!
- Heb 12:13 : 13 Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
- Isa 35:8 : 8 And there will be a highway there, called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for those who walk in that way—fools shall not wander astray.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Deut 19:1-22 verses89%
1When 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,
2you are to set apart three cities in the midst of the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
- Deut 19:4-1411 verses83%
4Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: whoever strikes his neighbor unintentionally, without prior malice,
5for 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.
6Otherwise, 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.
7This is why I am commanding you: Set apart three cities for yourselves.
8And 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,
9and 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.
10This 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.
11But 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,
12the 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.
13Do not pity him, but purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.
14Do 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.
- Num 35:11-155 verses77%
11you shall designate cities to serve as cities of refuge where someone who unintentionally kills another may flee.
12These cities shall serve as a refuge from the avenger of blood, so that the one who killed someone unintentionally may not be put to death until they stand trial before the congregation.
13The cities you are to give will serve as six cities of refuge.
14Three of these cities you shall give on the east side of the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.
15These six cities will be a refuge for the Israelites, for the foreigner, and for the sojourner living among them, so that anyone who unintentionally kills another can flee there.
- Josh 20:2-65 verses77%
2Speak to the people of Israel, saying: Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge that I spoke about to you through Moses.
3These cities are to be a place where someone who unintentionally kills another person without malice can flee. They will serve as a refuge from the avenger of blood.
4The one who flees to one of these cities must stand at the entrance of the city gate and explain their case to the elders of that city. They should take the person into the city, provide a place for them to stay, and allow them to live among them.
5If the avenger of blood pursues them, the city must not hand over the one who committed the killing, because they killed their neighbor unintentionally and without prior hostility.
6The person must stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may return to their own city and home, from which they fled.
- Deut 4:41-433 verses77%
41Then Moses set apart three cities east of the Jordan.
42These were for anyone who accidentally killed a neighbor without prior hostility, so that they could flee to one of these cities and live.
43The cities were Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
- Deut 21:1-22 verses76%
1If someone is found dead in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, lying in a field, and it is unknown who struck him,
2then your elders and judges must come out and measure the distance to the surrounding cities.
- 75%
9These were the appointed cities for all the Israelites and for the foreigners living among them, so that anyone who unintentionally killed another person could flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until they stood trial before the assembly.
- 74%
13But if he did not intend to kill, and it was allowed by God to happen, then I will provide a place where he can flee.
- Num 35:26-294 verses72%
26But if the one who caused the death goes outside the boundaries of the city of refuge to which they fled,
27and the avenger of blood finds the offender outside the city and kills them, the avenger shall not be guilty of bloodshed.
28The one who caused the death must remain in the city of refuge until the high priest dies; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.
29These are to be legal requirements for you throughout your generations in all your settlements.
- 72%
20Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.
- 71%
15This is what you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not part of the cities of these nations.
- 71%
21You are to divide this land among the tribes of Israel.
- 71%
24then the assembly must judge between the one who caused the death and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
- Josh 18:4-63 verses71%
4Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to survey the land and map it according to their inheritances. Then they will return to me.
5Divide the land into seven portions. Judah will remain in its territory in the south, and the house of Joseph will remain in its territory in the north.
6Write a description of the land in seven divisions and bring it to me here. I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
- 71%
8If a case arises that is too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults—matters of dispute in your towns, you are to go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.
- 71%
6The cities that you give to the Levites shall include six cities of refuge for someone who kills another unintentionally to flee to; in addition, give them forty-two more cities.
- 70%
9So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from among you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
- 70%
13When the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, strike down every male there with the sword.
- 70%
19He will drive out all your enemies before you, as the LORD has promised.
- 70%
18At that time I commanded you: 'The LORD your God has given you this land to take possession of it. All your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites.'
- 70%
19The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when they encounter the murderer, the avenger is to put them to death.
- 70%
24For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man will covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times a year.
- 70%
27Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man put his sword on his side. Go back and forth through the camp, from gate to gate, and kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.'"