|
Chapter 19 |
| 1 | When the LORD
thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and
thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
|
| 2 | Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land,
which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. |
| 3 | Thou shalt
prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God
giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee
thither. |
| 4
| And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee
thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated
not in time past; |
|
5 | As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor
to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree,
and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he
die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: |
| 6 | Lest the
avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake
him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death,
inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. |
|
7 | Wherefore I command thee,
saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. |
| 8 | And if the
LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give
thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; |
| 9 | If
thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this
day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou
add three cities more for thee, beside these three: |
| 10 | That
innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for
an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. |
|
11 | But if any man hate his
neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him
mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: |
| 12 | Then the
elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the
hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. |
| 13 | Thine eye
shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from
Israel, that it may go well with thee. |
| 14 | Thou shalt not remove thy
neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance,
which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to
possess it. |
|
15 | One witness shall not rise up against a man for any
iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two
witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be
established. |
|
16 | If a false witness rise up against any man to
testify against him that which is wrong; |
|
17 | Then both the men, between
whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and
the judges, which shall be in those days; |
|
18 | And the judges shall make
diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath
testified falsely against his brother; |
| 19 | Then shall ye do unto him, as
he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away
from among you. |
|
20 | And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and
shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. |
| 21 | And
thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. |
