19"When the LORD your God annihilates the nations whose land He is giving you, so that you drive them out and live in their cities and houses,H3068H430H3772H1471H776H3068H430H5414H3423H3427H5892H1004

2you are to set apart three cities for yourselves within the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.H914H7969H5892H8432H776H3068H430H5414H3423

3You are to determine the distances and divide the land the LORD your God is granting you as an inheritance into three regions, so that anyone who commits manslaughter can flee to these cities.H3559H1870H1366H776H3068H430H5157H8027H7523H5127

4"Here is the law concerning a case of someone who kills a person and flees there to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him:H1697H7523H5127H2425H5221H7453H1097H1847H8130H8543H8032

5If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live.H935H3293H7453H2404H6086H3027H5080H1631H3772H6086H1270H5394H6086H4672H7453H4191H5127H259H5892H2425

6Otherwise, the avenger of blood in the heat of his anger might pursue the one who committed manslaughter, overtake him because the distance is great, and strike him dead. Yet he did not deserve to die, since he did not previously hate his neighbor.H1350H1818H7291H310H7523H3588H3824H3179H5381H1870H7235H5221H5315H4941H4194H3588H8130H8543H8032

7This is why I am commanding you to set apart three cities for yourselves.H6680H559H914H7969H5892

8If the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised to give them—H3068H430H7337H1366H7650H1H5414H776H1696H5414H1

9provided you keep every one of these commands I am giving you today and follow them, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times— you are to add three more cities to these three.H8104H4687H6213H6680H3117H157H3068H430H3212H3117H1870H3254H7969H5892H7969

10In this way, innocent blood will not be shed, and you will not become guilty of bloodshed in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.H5355H1818H8210H7130H776H3068H430H5414H5159H1818

11But if someone hates his neighbor, lies in ambush for him, attacks him, and strikes him fatally, and flees to one of these cities,H376H8130H7453H693H6965H5221H5315H4191H5127H259H411H5892

12the elders of his city must send [for him], take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood and he will die.H2205H5892H7971H3947H5414H3027H1350H1818H4191

13You must not look on him with pity but purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and you will prosper.H5869H2347H1197H5355H1818H3478H2895

14"You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, established at the start in the inheritance you will receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.H5253H7453H1366H7223H1379H5159H5157H776H3068H430H5414H3423

15"One witness cannot establish any wrongdoing or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.H259H5707H6965H376H5771H2403H2399H2398H6310H8147H5707H6310H7969H5707H1697H6965

16"If a malicious witness testifies against someone accusing him of a crime,H2555H5707H6965H376H6030H5627

17the two people in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and judges in authority at the time.H8147H582H7379H5975H6440H3068H6440H3548H8199H3117

18The judges are to make a careful investigation, and if the witness turns out to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,H8199H3190H1875H5707H8267H5707H6030H8267H251

19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from you.H6213H2161H6213H251H1197H7451H1197H7130

20Then everyone else will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything evil like this among you.H7604H8085H3372H3254H6213H1697H7451H7130

21You must not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.H5869H2347H5315H5315H5869H5869H8127H8127H3027H3027H7272H7272