Deuteronomy 19 Now when the Lord thy God hath destroyed the nations, whose land thy God giveth thee, and you have taken possession of it, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Now when the Lord thy God hath destroyed the nations, whose land thy God giveth thee, and you have taken possession of it, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses ² , thou shalt set apart for thyself three cities, in the midst of that thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. ³ Make straight the way for thee, and divide into three districts, the bounds of thy land which the Lord thy God parcelleth out to thee: and in each district let there be a place of refuge for the slayer. ⁴ And this shall be the ordinance for every slayer who may flee thither, and live. Whosoever shall smite his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past, ⁵ for instance whosoever shall go with his neighbour into the forest to collect wood, and the hand of him who is cutting the wood with an axe being drawn back, the iron shall slip from the helve, and accidentally fall on his neighbour, and he die; such a one shall flee with speed to one of the cities, and live. ⁶ Lest the avenger of blood pursuing, because his heart is inflamed, should overtake him, if the way be too long, and slay him, though he is not guilty of death, because he hated him not in time past; ⁷ for this cause I give thee this charge, saying, Thou shalt set apart three cities for thyself. ⁸ And when the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy borders, as he hath sworn to thy fathers, and the Lord hath given thee all the land which he promised to give thy fathers, ⁹ if thou wilt hearken to do all the commands which I this day give thee in charge, to love the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways continually; thou shalt add three cities more for thyself, besides these three, ¹⁰ so that guiltless blood may not be shed in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for a possession. ¹¹ But there must not be among you one guilty of blood. If therefore there be among you a man who hateth his neighbour, and who shall lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him so that he die, and flee to one of these cities; ¹² the senate of his city shall send and take him thence, and deliver him into the hands of the avenger of blood, and he shall be put to death. ¹³ Thine eye shall not spare him. So shalt thou purge away guiltless blood from Israel, and it shall be well with thee. ¹⁴ Thou shalt not remove the boundaries of thy neighbour, which thy fathers have settled at the distribution of the inheritances, which were given thee to possess in the land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee by lot. ¹⁵ One witness shall not be sufficient to testify against a man for any iniquity, or any crime, or any sin, which he may commit. By the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, every thing shall be established. ¹⁶ And if a false witness rise up against a man, and accuse him of any crime, ¹⁷ the two men between whom is the controversy, shall stand before the Lord, and before the priests, and before the judges, who may be in those days. ¹⁸ And when the judges have made a strict examination, if the false witness hath testified falsehoods, and risen up against his brother; ¹⁹ you shall do to him as he wickedly thought to do to his brother. thou shalt remove the evil from among you; ²⁰ and the rest, when they hear, will be afraid, and thenceforth proceed no more to commit such evil among you. ²¹ Thine eye shall not pity him; life for life; eye for eye; tooth for tooth; hand for hand; foot for foot.