Deuteronomy 19

ki-yakhrit Adonai elohekha et-haggoyim asher Adonai elohekha noten lekha et-artsam virishtam veyashavta ve'arehem uvevattehem

When the ETERNAL your God has cut down the nations whose land the ETERNAL your God is assigning to you, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their towns and homes,

shalosh arim tavdil lakh betokh artsekha asher Adonai elohekha noten lekha lerishtah

you shall set aside three cities in the land that the ETERNAL your God is giving you to possess.

takhin lekha hadderekh veshillashta et-gevul artsekha asher yankhilekha Adonai elohekha vehayah lanus shammah kol-rotseakh

You shall survey the distances, and divide into three parts the territory of the country that the ETERNAL your God has allotted to you, so that any manslayer may have a place to flee to.—

vezeh devar harotseakh asher-yanus shammah vakhay asher yakkeh et-re'ehu bivli-da'at vehu lo-sone lo mittemol shilshom

Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: one who has slain another unwittingly, without having been an enemy in the past.

va'asher yavo et-re'ehu vayya'ar lakhtov etsim veniddekhah yado vaggarzen likhrot ha'ets venashal habbarzel min-ha'ets umatsa et-re'ehu vamet hu yanus el-akhat he'arim-ha'elleh vakhay

For instance, a man goes with another fellow into a grove to cut wood; as his hand swings the ax to cut down a tree, the ax-head flies off the handle and strikes the other so that he dies. That man shall flee to one of these cities and live.—

pen-yirdof go'el haddam akhare harotseakh ki-yekham levavo vehissigo ki-yirbeh hadderekh vehikkahu nafesh velo en mishpat-mavet ki lo sone hu lo mittemol shilshom

Otherwise, when the distance is great, the blood-avenger, pursuing the manslayer in hot anger, may overtake him and strike him down; yet he did not incur the death penalty, since he had never been the other’s enemy.

al-ken anokhi metsavvekha lemor shalosh arim tavdil lakh

That is why I command you: set aside three cities.

ve'im-yarkhiv Adonai elohekha et-gevulkha ka'asher nishba la'avotekha venatan lekha et-kol-ha'arets asher dibber latet la'avotekha

And when the ETERNAL your God enlarges your territory, as was sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that was promised to be given to your fathers—

ki-tishmor et-kol-hammitsvah hazzot la'asotah asher anokhi metsavvekha hayyom le'ahavah et-Adonai elohekha velalekhet bidrakhayw kol-hayyamim veyasafta lekha od shalosh arim al hashalosh ha'elleh

if you faithfully observe all this Instruction that I enjoin upon you this day, to love the ETERNAL your God and to walk in God’s ways at all times—then you shall add three more towns to those three.

velo yishafekh dam naqi beqerev artsekha asher Adonai elohekha noten lekha nakhalah vehayah alekha damim

Thus blood of the innocent will not be shed, bringing bloodguilt upon you in the land that the ETERNAL your God is allotting to you.

vekhi-yihyeh ish sone lere'ehu ve'arav lo veqam alayw vehikkahu nefesh vamet venas el-akhat he'arim ha'el

If, however, [for instance,] a man who is the enemy of another lies in wait for him and sets upon him and strikes a fatal blow and then flees to one of these towns,

veshalekhu ziqne iro velaqekhu oto misham venatenu oto beyad go'el haddam vamet

the elders of his town shall have him brought back from there and shall hand him over to the blood-avenger to be put to death;

lo-takhos enekha alayw uvi'arta dam-hannaqi miyyisra'el vetov lakh

you must show him no pity. Thus you will purge Israel of the blood of the innocent, and it will go well with you.

lo tassig gevul re'akha asher gavelu rishonim benakhalatekha asher tinkhal ba'arets asher Adonai elohekha noten lekha lerishtah

You shall not move your neighbor’s landmarks, set up by previous generations, in the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the ETERNAL your God is giving you to possess.

lo-yaqum ed ekhad be'ish lekhol-avon ulekhol-khattat bekhol-khet asher yekheta al-pi shene edim o al-pi sheloshah-edim yaqum davar

A single witness may not validate against another party any guilt or blame for any offense that may be committed; a case can be valid only on the testimony of two witnesses or more.

ki-yaqum ed-khamas be'ish la'anot bo sarah

If someone appears against another party to testify maliciously and gives incriminating yet false testimony,

ve'amedu shene-ha'anashim asher-lahem hariv lifne Adonai lifne hakkohanim vehashofetim asher yihyu bayyamim hahem

the two parties to the dispute shall appear before GOD, before the priests or magistrates in authority at the time,

vedareshu hashofetim hetev vehinneh ed-sheqer ha'ed sheqer anah ve'akhiv

and the magistrates shall make a thorough investigation. If the one who testified is a false witness, having testified falsely against a fellow Israelite,

va'asitem lo ka'asher zamam la'asot le'akhiv uvi'arta hara miqqirbekha

you shall do to the one as the one schemed to do to the other. Thus you will sweep out evil from your midst;

vehannisharim yishme'u veyira'u velo-yosifu la'asot od kaddavar hara hazzeh beqirbekha

others will hear and be afraid, and such evil things will not again be done in your midst.

velo takhos enekha nefesh benefesh ayin be'ayin shen beshen yad beyad regel beragel

Nor must you show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.