19"When the Lord your God destroys those nations whose lands he is about to give you, you must dispossess them and live in their cities and houses.H3068H430H3772H1471H776H3068H430H5414H3423H3427H5892H1004

2You must reserve three cities within the land that the Lord your God is about to give you to possess.H914H7969H5892H8432H776H3068H430H5414H3423

3Build roads throughout the land that the Lord your God is providing as an inheritance, and then divide it into three districts so that any killer may flee there.H3559H1870H1366H776H3068H430H5157H8027H7523H5127

4"Now this is the situation for any killer who flees there to live: suppose he strikes his friend unwittingly, not having hated him previously.H1697H7523H5127H2425H5221H7453H1097H1847H8130H8543H8032

5For instance, he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle and hit his friend, so that he died. The killer may flee to one of these cities to live.H935H3293H7453H2404H6086H3027H5080H1631H3772H6086H1270H5394H6086H4672H7453H4191H5127H259H5892H2425

6While the distance may be great and the angry avenger pursues the killer, he may overtake him and kill him, in which case there will be no justice in his death, because he did not hate his friend previously.H1350H1818H7291H310H7523H3588H3824H3179H5381H1870H7235H5221H5315H4941H4194H3588H8130H8543H8032

7Therefore I am commanding you to reserve three cities."H6680H559H914H7969H5892

8"Now if the Lord enlarges your territories just as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land that he promised,H3068H430H7337H1366H7650H1H5414H776H1696H5414H1

9and if you are careful to observe all these commands that I am commanding you today - to love the Lord your God and to walk daily in his ways - then add three more cities in addition to these three cities.H8104H4687H6213H6680H3117H157H3068H430H3212H3117H1870H3254H7969H5892H7969

10You must not shed innocent blood on your land that the Lord your God is about to give you as an inheritance. Otherwise, you'll be guilty of murder."H5355H1818H8210H7130H776H3068H430H5414H5159H1818

11"However, if a person hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and attacks him so that he dies, and then he flees to one of those cities,H376H8130H7453H693H6965H5221H5315H4191H5127H259H411H5892

12then the elders of his own city shall send for him, remove him from there, and deliver him to the related avenger for execution.H2205H5892H7971H3947H5414H3027H1350H1818H4191

13Have no pity on him, but totally purge the shedding of innocent blood from Israel so that life may go well with you.12H5869H2347H1197H5355H1818H3478H2895

14"When you inherit the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, don't move your neighbor's boundary marker from where it was placed long ago."H5253H7453H1366H7223H1379H5159H5157H776H3068H430H5414H3423

15"The testimony of one person alone shall not suffice to convict anyone of any inequity, sin, or guilt. But the matter will stand on the testimony of two or three witnesses.H259H5707H6965H376H5771H2403H2399H2398H6310H8147H5707H6310H7969H5707H1697H6965

16When a malicious witness takes the stand against a man and accuses him,H2555H5707H6965H376H6030H5627

17then both must stand with their dispute in the Lord's presence, the priests, and the judges at that time.H8147H582H7379H5975H6440H3068H6440H3548H8199H3117

18The judges will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative,H8199H3190H1875H5707H8267H5707H6030H8267H251

19do to him just as he intended to do to his relative. By doing this you will purge evil from your midst.H6213H2161H6213H251H1197H7451H1197H7130

20When others hear of this, they will be afraid and will not do such an evil deed again in your midst.H7604H8085H3372H3254H6213H1697H7451H7130

21Your eyes must not show pity - life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot."1916H5869H2347H5315H5315H5869H5869H8127H8127H3027H3027H7272H7272