Deuteronomy 19

Criminal Laws

1 The Lord your God will destroy all the nations that are living in the land that he’s giving you. You will force them out and live in their cities and houses.2 When all this is done, set aside three cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

3 Provide a route to each of these cities and divide the land that the Lord your God is giving you into three regions. Whoever kills someone may run to one of these cities.
4 A person who unintentionally kills someone he never hated in the past may run to one of these cities to save his life.5 Suppose two people go into the woods to cut wood. As one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head flies off the handle, hits, and kills the other person. The one who accidentally killed the other person may run to one of these cities and save his life.6 Otherwise, in a rage the relative who has the authority to avenge the death will pursue him. If the place is too far away, the relative may catch up with him and take his life even though he didn’t deserve the death penalty, because in the past he never hated the person he killed.

7 This is why I’m commanding you to set aside three cities for yourselves.
8 The Lord your God may expand your country’s borders as he promised your ancestors with an oath. He may give you the whole land he promised to give them.9 He may do this because you faithfully obey all these commands I am now giving you—to love the Lord your God and follow his directions as long as you live. If this happens, you may add three more cities of refuge to these three.

10 That way, innocent people won’t be killed in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you won’t be guilty of murder.
11 Suppose someone hates another person, waits in ambush for him, attacks him, takes his life, and runs to one of these cities.12 If someone does this, the leaders of your city must send for that person. They must take him from that city and hand him over to the relative who has the authority to avenge the death. He must die.

13 They must have no pity on him. The guilt of murdering an innocent person must be removed from Israel. Then things will go well for Israel.
14 Never move your neighbor’s original boundary marker on any property in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.15 One witness is never enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.16 This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime.17 The two people involved must stand in the Lord’s presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time.18 The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite,19 then do to him what he planned to do to the other person. You must get rid of this evil.20 When the rest of the people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you.

21 Have no pity on him: Take a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

Deuteronomy 19

Laws Concerning Manslaughter

1 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land het is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses,2 you must set apart for yourselves three citiess in the middle of your land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession.3 You shall build a roadway and divide into thirds the whole extentt of your land that the Lord your God is providing as your inheritance; anyone who kills another person should flee to the closest of these cities.4 Now this is the law pertaining to one who flees there in order to live,t if he has accidentally killed anothert without hating him at the time of the accident.t5 Suppose he goes with someone elset to the forest to cut wood and when he raises the axt to cut the tree, the ax head flies looset from the handle and strikest his fellow workert so hard that he dies. The person responsiblet may then flee to one of these cities to save himself.t6 Otherwise the blood avenger will chase after the killer in the heat of his anger, eventually overtake him,t and kill him,t though this is not a capital caset since he did not hate him at the time of the accident.7 Therefore, I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.8 If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestorst and gives you all the land he pledged to them,t9 and then you are careful to observe all these commandmentst I am givingt you today (namely, to love the Lord your God and to always walk in his ways), then you must add three more citiess to these three.10 You must not shed innocent bloodt in your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, for that would make you guilty.t11 However, suppose a person hates someone elset and stalks him, attacks him, kills him,t and then flees to one of these cities.12 The elders of his own city must send for him and remove him from there to deliver him over to the blood avengert to die.

13 You must not pity him, but purge out the blood of the innocents from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

Laws Concerning Witnesses

14 You must not encroach on your neighbor’s property,t which will have been definedt in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you.t
15 A single witness may not testifyt against another person for any trespass or sin that he commits. A matter may be legally establishedt only on the testimony of two or three witnesses.16 If a falset witness testifies against another person and accuses him of a crime,t17 then both parties to the controversy must stand before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judgest who will be in office in those days.18 The judges will thoroughly investigate the matter, and if the witness should prove to be false and to have given false testimony against the accused,t19 you must do to him what he had intended to do to the accused. In this way you will purget evil from among you.20 The rest of the people will hear and become afraid to keep doing such evil among you.

21 You must not show pity; the principle will be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.s