| International Standard Version | English Standard Version |
| 1"When the LORD your God destroys those nations whose lands he is about to give you, you must dispossess them and live 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, |
| 2You must reserve three cities within the land that the LORD your God is about to give you to possess. | 2you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. |
| 3Build roads throughout the land that the LORD your God is providing as an inheritance, and then divide it into three districts so that any killer may flee there. | 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. |
| 4"Now this is the situation for any killer who flees there to live: suppose he strikes his friend unwittingly, not having hated him previously. | 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— |
| 5For instance, he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle and hit his friend, so that he died. The killer may flee to one of these cities to live. | 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, |
| 6While the distance may be great and the angry avenger pursues the killer, he may overtake him and kill him, in which case there will be no justice in his death, because he did not hate his friend previously. | 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. |
| 7Therefore I am commanding you to reserve three cities." | 7Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. |
| 8"Now if the LORD enlarges your territories just as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land that he promised, | 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 are careful to observe all these commands that I am commanding you today—to love the LORD your God and to walk daily in his ways—then add three more cities in addition to these three cities. | 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, |
| 10You must not shed innocent blood on your land that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance. Otherwise, you'll be guilty of murder." | 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. |
| 11"However, if a person hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and attacks him so that he dies, and then he flees to one of those 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, |
| 12then the elders of his own city shall send for him, remove him from there, and deliver him to the related avenger for execution. | 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. |
| 13Have no pity on him, but totally purge the shedding of innocent blood from Israel so that life 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. |
| 14"When you inherit the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don't move your neighbor's boundary marker from where it was placed long ago." | 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. |
| 15"The testimony of one person alone is not to suffice to convict anyone of any iniquity, sin, or guilt. But the matter will stand on 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. |
| 16When a malicious witness takes the stand against a man and accuses him, | 16If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, |
| 17then both must stand with their dispute in the LORD's presence, the priests, and the judges 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 will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative, | 18The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, |
| 19do to him just as he intended to do to his relative. By doing this you will purge evil from your midst. | 19then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. |
| 20When others hear of this, they will be afraid and will not do such an evil deed again in your midst. | 20And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. |
| 21Your eyes must not show 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 Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | 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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