Deuteronomy 19

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 'When Yahweh your God has annihilated the nations whose country Yahweh your God is going to giveyou, and you have dispossessed them and are living in their towns and in their houses,	1 "When the LORD, your God, removes the nations whose land he is giving you, and you have taken their place and are settled in their cities and houses,
2 you must set aside three towns, central y placed in the country which Yahweh your God is giving youfor your own.	2 you shall set apart three cities in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you to occupy.
3 You wil keep the approaches to them in good order, dividing the area of the country which Yahwehyour God is giving you as your heritage, into three parts, so that any kil er can flee to these towns.	3 You shall thereby divide into three regions the land which the LORD, your God, will give you as a heritage, and so arrange the routes that every homicide will be able to find a refuge.
4 Here is an example of how someone may save his life by fleeing to them. 'If anyone has struck hisfel ow accidental y, without any previous feud with him	4 "It is in the following case that a homicide may take refuge in such a place to save his life: when someone unwittingly kills his neighbor to whom he had previously borne no malice.
5 (for example, he goes with his fel ow into the forest to cut wood; his arm swings the axe to fel a tree;the head slips off the handle and strikes his companion dead), that man may take refuge in one of these townsand save his life.	5 For example, if he goes with his neighbor to a forest to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, its head flies off the handle and hits his neighbor a mortal blow, he may take refuge in one of these cities to save his life.
6 It must not be allowed that the avenger of blood, in the heat of his anger, should pursue the kil er andthat the length of the road should help him to overtake and wound him fatal y; for the man has not deserved todie, having had no previous feud with his victim.	6 Should the distance be too great, the avenger of blood may in the heat of his anger pursue the homicide and overtake him and strike him dead, even though he does not merit death since he had previously borne the slain man no malice.
7 'Hence I am giving you this order: You must set aside three towns,	7 That is why I order you to set apart three cities.
8 and if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, andgives you the whole country which he promised to give to your ancestors-	8 "But if the LORD, your God, enlarges your territory, as he swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land he promised your fathers he would give
9 provided that you keep and observe al the commandments which I am enjoining on you today, lovingYahweh your God and always following his ways-then, to those three towns you wil add three more.	9 in the event that you carefully observe all these commandments which I enjoin on you today, loving the LORD, your God, and ever walking in his ways: then add three cities to these three.
10 In this way, innocent blood will not be shed in the country which Yahweh your God is going to giveyou as your heritage; otherwise you would incur blood-guilt.	10 Thus, in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you as a heritage, innocent blood will not be shed and you will not become guilty of bloodshed.
11 'But if it happens that a man has a feud with his fel ow and lies in wait for him and attacks him andfatal y wounds him and he dies, and the man takes refuge in one of these towns,	11 "However, if someone lies in wait for his neighbor out of hatred for him, and rising up against him, strikes him mortally, and then takes refuge in one of these cities,
12 the elders of his own town must send there and have him taken and handed over to the avenger ofblood, to be put to death.	12 the elders of his own city shall send for him and have him taken from there, and shall hand him over to be slain by the avenger of blood.
13 You must show him no pity. You must banish the shedding of innocent blood from Israel, and thenyou wil prosper.	13 Do not look on him with pity, but purge from Israel the stain of shedding innocent blood, that you may prosper.
14 'You must not displace your neighbour's boundary mark, positioned by men of old in the heritagesoon to be yours, in the country which Yahweh your God is about to give you.	14 "You shall not move your neighbor's landmarks erected by your forefathers in the heritage you receive in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you to occupy.
15 'A single witness wil not suffice to convict anyone of a crime or offence of any kind; whatever themisdemeanour, the evidence of two witnesses or three is required to sustain the charge.	15 "One witness alone shall not take the stand against a man in regard to any crime or any offense of which he may be guilty; a judicial fact shall be established only on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16 'If someone gives false evidence against anyone, laying a charge of apostasy,	16 "If an unjust witness takes the stand against a man to accuse him of a defection from the law,
17 both parties to this dispute before Yahweh must appear before the priests and judges then in office.	17 the two parties in the dispute shall appear before the LORD in the presence of the priests or judges in office at that time;
18 The judges wil make a careful enquiry, and if it turns out that the witness is a liar and has made a false accusation against his brother,	18 and if after a thorough investigation the judges find that the witness is a false witness and has accused his kinsman falsely,
19 you must treat the witness as he would have treated his brother. You must banish this evil fromamong you.	19 you shall do to him as he planned to do to his kinsman. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst.
20 The rest, hearing of this, wil be afraid and never again do such an evil thing among you.	20 The rest, on hearing of it, shall fear, and never again do a thing so evil among you.
21 You must show no pity. 'Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.'	21 Do not look on such a man with pity. Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot!