Deuteronomy 19 NIV ISV Parallel

◄ Deuteronomy 19 ►

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1When the LORD your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,

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.

2then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

2You must reserve three cities within the land that the LORD your God is about to give you to possess.

3Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

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.

4This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety--anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.

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.

5For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.

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.

6Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.

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.

7This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

7Therefore I am commanding you to reserve three cities."

8If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them,

8"Now if the LORD enlarges your territories just as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land that he promised,

9because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today--to love the LORD your God and to walk always in obedience to him--then you are to set aside three more cities.

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.

10Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

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."

11But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor, and then flees to one of these cities,

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,

12the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die.

12then the elders of his own city shall send for him, remove him from there, and deliver him to the related avenger for execution.

13Show no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.

13Have no pity on him, but totally purge the shedding of innocent blood from Israel so that life may go well with you."

14Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

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."

15One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

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.

16If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime,

16When a malicious witness takes the stand against a man and accuses him,

17the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.

17then both must stand with their dispute in the LORD's presence, the priests, and the judges at that time.

18The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite,

18The judges will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative,

19then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.

19do to him just as he intended to do to his relative. By doing this you will purge evil from your midst.

20The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you.

20When others hear of this, they will be afraid and will not do such an evil deed again in your midst.

21Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

21Your eyes must not show pity—life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot."

New International Version (NIV)

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