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 neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour 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 neighbour, 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 neighbour, 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 neighbour’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.

1 When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose lande the Lord thy God giueth 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 giueth thee to possesse it.

3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and diuide the coasts of thy land (which the Lord thy God giueth thee to inherit) into three parts, that euery slayer may flee thither.

4 And this is the case of the slayer which shall flee thither, that hee may liue: who so killeth his neighbour 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 downe the tree, and the head slippeth from the helue, and lighteth vpon his neighbour that he die, he shall flee vnto one of those cities, and liue:

6 Lest the auenger of the blood pursue the slaier, while his heart is hot, and ouertake him, because the way is long, and slay him, whereas he was not worthy of death, in as much as hee 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 sworne vnto thy fathers) and giue thee all the lande which hee promised to giue vnto thy fathers:

9 (If thou shalt keepe all these commandements to doe them, which I command thee this day, to loue the Lord thy God, and to walke euer in his wayes) then shalt thou adde three cities moe for thee, beside these three:

10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land which the Lord thy God giueth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be vpon thee.

11 But if any man hate his neighbour and lie in wait for him, and rise vp against him, and smite him mortally that hee die, and fleeth into one of these Cities:

12 Then the Elders of his citie shall send and fetch him thence, and deliuer him into the hand of the auenger of blood, that he may die.

13 Thine eye shall not pittie him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may goe wel with thee.

14 Thou shalt not remooue thy neighbours land-marke, which they of old time haue set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherite, in the land that the Lord thy God giueth thee to possesse it.

15 One witnesse shall not rise vp against a man for any iniquitie, or for any sinne, in any sinne that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be stablished.

16 If a false witnes rise vp against any man to testifie against him that which is wrong:

17 Then both the men betweene whom the controuersie is, shall stand before the Lord, before the Priests, and the Iudges, which shall be in those dayes.

18 And the Iudges shall make diligent inquisition: and behold, if the witnesse be a false witnesse, and hath testified falsly against his brother:

19 Then shall ye doe vnto him, as he had thought to haue done vnto his brother: so shalt thou put the euil away from among you.

20 And those which remaine shall heare, and feare, and shall hencefoorth commit no more any such euill among you.

21 And thine eye shall not pitie, but life shall goe for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

I == Deut 12:29

 

 

II Ex 21:13 ; Num 35:10 , 14 ; Josh 20:2

 

 

IV == Num 35:15 ; Deut 4:42

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VI == Num 35:12

 

 

 

 

 

VIII == Gen 15:18 ; Deut 12:20

 

IX == Josh 20:7-8

 

 

 

 

 

 

XI == Ex 21:12 ; Num 35:16 , 24 ; Deut 27:24 ; Prov 28:17

 

 

 

XIII == Num 35:33-34 ; Deut 13:8 ; 21:9 ; 25:12 ; 1st Kings 2:31

XIV == Deut 27:17 ; Job 24:2 ; Prov 22:28 ; Hos 5:10

 

XV == Num 35:30 ; Deut 17:6 ; Matt 18:16 ; John 8:17 ; 2nd Cor 13:1 1st Tim 5:19 ; Heb 10:28

XVI == Ps 27:12 ; 35:11

 

XVII == Deut 17:9 ; 21:5

 

 

 

 

 

XIX == Deut 13:5 ; 17:7 ; 21:21 , 24 ; 24:7 ; Prov 19:5 , 9 ; Dan 6:24

XX -- Deut 17:13 ; 21:21

XXI == Ex 21:23-24 ; Lev 24:20 ; Deut 19:13 ; Matt 5:38

 

 

 

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 shall set apart three cities in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you to occupy.

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 "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, 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 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 That is why I order you to set apart three cities.

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 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 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 "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 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 Do not look on him with pity, but purge from Israel the stain of shedding innocent blood, that you may prosper.

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 "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 an unjust witness takes the stand against a man to accuse him of a defection from the law,

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 and if after a thorough investigation the judges find that the witness is a false witness and has accused his kinsman falsely,

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, on hearing of it, shall fear, and never again do a thing so evil among you.

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!

v 1--13. This reviews the cities of refuge, Num 35;1-34. See also Josh. 20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 14. The land mark was important then for marking inheritance, and is today as a part of surveying property. Many people have dug down to that stone for starting point.

v 15-21. It is important that one person’s testimony can be confirmed by another. For Israel the harm a false witness intended was imposed upon himself. It was serious, eye for eye etc.