Three Cities of Refuge
1 “When theLordyour Godhas cut off the nations whose land theLordyour God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,
2 you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which theLordyour God is giving you to possess.
3 You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which theLordyour God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there.
4 “Andthisisthe case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him in time past—
5 as whenamangoes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live;
6 lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though hewasnot deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past.
7 Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’
8 “Now if theLordyour Godenlarges your territory, as He swore toyour fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers,
9 and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love theLordyour God and to walk always in His ways,then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three,
10 lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which theLordyour God is giving youasan inheritance, andthusguilt of bloodshed be upon you.
11 “Butif anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,
12 then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 Your eye shall not pity him,but you shall put awaytheguiltofinnocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.
Property Boundaries
14 “You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that theLordyour God is giving you to possess.
The Law Concerning Witnesses
15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.
16 If a false witnessrises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before theLord,before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.
18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed,ifthe witnessisa false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,
19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; soyou shall put away the evil from among you.
20 And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you.
21 Your eye shall not pity:lifeshallbefor life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.