| Berean Study Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, | 1“When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, |
| 2then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. | 2you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. |
| 3You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities. | 3You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them. |
| 4Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: | 4“This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— |
| 5If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life. | 5as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, |
| 6Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. | 6lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. |
| 7This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities. | 7Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. |
| 8And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, | 8And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— |
| 9and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three. | 9provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the LORD your God and by walking ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three, |
| 10Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. | 10lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you. |
| 11If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, | 11“But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, |
| 12the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. | 12then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. |
| 13You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you. | 13Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you. |
| 14You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. | 14“You shall not move your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. |
| 15A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. | 15“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. |
| 16If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, | 16If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, |
| 17both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. | 17then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. |
| 18The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, | 18The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, |
| 19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. | 19then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. |
| 20Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. | 20And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. |
| 21You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. | 21Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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