Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy Chapter 19

1The cities of refuge. 4The privilege thereof allowed to the manslayer; 11but not to him that is guilty of wilful murder. 14The landmark not to be removed. 15Two witnesses at the least are required to prove a criminal fact. 16The punishment of a false witness.
1 When the Lord thy God 1hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou asucceedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
2 Thou 1shalt 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 1every slayer may flee thither.
4 ¶ And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: 1Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not ain 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 ahead slippeth from the bhelve, and clighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; 1he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
6 Lest the 1avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and aslay him; whereas he was 2not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not bin time past.
7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
8 And if the Lord thy God 1enlarge 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 1thou 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; 2then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
10 That 1innocent 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 1if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him amortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
12 Then the elders of his city shall send 1and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 Thine 1eye shall not pity him, 2but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
14 ¶ Thou 1shalt 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 1witness 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 awrong;
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand 1before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
18 And the judges shall 1make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19 Then 1shall 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 1hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21 And thine eye shall not pity; but 1life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deuteronomy 19