1
"When the
LORD your
God cuts off the
nations,
whose land the
LORD your
God gives you, and you
dispossess them and
settle in their
cities and in their
houses,
~Iyw{G;h -t,a '$y,h{l/a h'wh.y tyir.k;y -yiK ? ~'c.r;a -t,a '$.l !et{n '$y,h{l/a h'wh.y r,v]a ? ~,hyeT'b.b.W ~,hyer'[.b 'T.b;v'y.w ~'T.viryiw
2
you shall
set aside three cities for yourself in the
midst of your
land,
which the
LORD your
God gives you to
possess.
r,v]a '$.c.r;a .$w{t.B .$'l lyiD.b;T ~yir'[ vw{l'v ? H'T.vir.l '$.l !et{n '$y,h{l/a h'wh.y
3
"You shall
prepare the
roads for yourself, and
divide into
three parts the
territory of your
land which the
LORD your
God will
give you as a
possession, so that
any manslayer may
flee there.
'$.c.r;a l.Wb.G -t,a 'T.v;Liv.w .$,r,D;h '$.l !yik'T ? s.Wn'l h'y'h.w '$y,h{l/a h'wh.y '$.lyix.n;y r,v]a ? ;xec{r -l'K h'M'v
4
"Now
this is the
case of the
manslayer who may
flee there and
live:
when he
kills his
friend unintentionally *, not
hating him
previously -
y'x'w h'M'v s.Wn'y -r,v]a ;xec{r'h r;b.D h,z.w ? a.Wh.w t;[;d -yil.biB .Whe[er -t,a h,K;y r,v]a ? ~{v.liv l{m.Tim w{l aen{f -a{l
5
as
when a man
goes into the
forest with his
friend to
cut wood, and his
hand swings the
axe to
cut down the
tree, and the
iron head
slips off the
handle and
strikes his
friend so that he
dies -he may
flee to
one of
these cities and
live;
~yice[ b{j.x;l r;[;Y;b .Whe[er -t,a a{b'y r,v]a;w ? l,z.r;B;h l;v'n.w #e['h t{r.kil !,z.r;G;b w{d'y h'x.Din.w ? s.Wn'y a.Wh tem'w .Whe[er -t,a a'c'm.W #e['h -nim ? y'x'w h,Lea'h -myir'[,h t;x;a -l,a
6
otherwise the
avenger of
blood might
pursue the
manslayer in the
heat of his
anger, and
overtake him,
because the
way is
long, and
take his
life, though he was not
deserving of
death,
since he had not
hated him
previously.
~;xey -yiK ;xec{r'h yer]x;a ~'D;h lea{G @{D.rIy -n,P ? .Wh'Kih.w .$,r,D;h h,B.rIy -yiK w{gyiFih.w w{b'b.l ? aen{f a{l yiK t,w'm -j;P.vim !yea w{l.w v,p'n ? ~w{v.liv lw{m.Tim w{l a.Wh
7
"Therefore *, I
command you,
saying, 'You shall
set aside three cities for yourself.'
~yir'[ v{l'v r{mael '$..W;c.m yik{n'a !eK -l;[ ? .$'l lyiD.b;T
8
"If the
LORD your
God enlarges your
territory,
just as He has
sworn to your
fathers, and
gives you
all the
land which He
promised to
give your
fathers -
'$.lUb.G -t,a '$y,h{l/a h'wh.y byix.r;y -mia.w ? #,r'a'h -l'K -t,a '$.l !;t'n.w '$y,t{b]a;l [;B.vin r,v]a;K ? '$y,t{b]a;l tet'l r,BiD r,v]a
9
if you
carefully observe all this commandment which I
command you
today, to
love the
LORD your
God, and to
walk in His
ways always * -then you shall
add three more cities for yourself,
besides these three.
H't{f][;l ta{Z;h h'w.ciM;h -l'K -t,a r{m.vit -yiK ? h'wh.y -t,a h'b]h;a.l ~w{Y;h '$..W;c.m yik{n'a r,v]a ? 'T.p;s'y.w ~yim'Y;h -l'K wy'k'r.diB t,k,l'l.w '$y,h{l/a ? h,Lea'h v{l'V;h l;[ ~yir'[ v{l'v dw{[ '$.l
10
"So
innocent blood will not be
shed in the
midst of your
land which the
LORD your
God gives you as an
inheritance, and
bloodguiltiness be on you.
h'wh.y r,v]a '$.c.r;a b,r,q.B yiq'n ~'D .$ep'VIy a{l.w ? ~yim'D '$y,l'[ h'y'h.w h'l]x;n '$.l !et{n '$y,h{l/a
11
"But
if there is a
man who
hates his
neighbor and
lies in
wait for him and
rises up
against him and
strikes him so that he
dies, and he
flees to
one of
these cities,
w{l b;r'a.w .Whe[er.l aen{f vyia h,y.hIy -yik.w ? t;x;a -l,a s'n.w tem'w v,p,n .Wh'Kih.w wy'l'[ ~'q.w ? lea'h ~yir'[,h
12
then the
elders of his
city shall
send and
take him from
there and
deliver him into the
hand of the
avenger of
blood, that he may
die.
.Wn.t'n.w ~'Vim w{t{a .Wx.q'l.w w{ryi[ yen.qiz .Wx.l'v.w ? tem'w ~'D;h lea{G d;y.B w{t{a
13
"You shall not
pity him, but you shall
purge the
blood of the
innocent from
Israel, that it may
go well with you.
yiq'N;h -m;d 'T.r;[ib.W wy'l'[ '$.nye[ sw{x't -a{l ? .$'l bw{j.w lea'r.fiYim
14
"You shall not
move your
neighbor's boundary mark,
which the
ancestors have
set, in your
inheritance which you will
inherit in the
land that the
LORD your
God gives you to
possess.
~yin{vair .Wl.b'G r,v]a '$][er l.Wb.G gyiS;t a{l ? '$y,h{l/a h'wh.y r,v]a #,r'a'B l;x.niT r,v]a '$.t'l]x;n.B ? H'T.vir.l '$.l !et{n
15
"A
single witness shall not
rise up against a
man on account of
any iniquity or
any sin which he has
committed; on the
evidence of
two or three witnesses a
matter shall be
confirmed.
ta'J;x -l'k.l.W !{w'[ -l'k.l vyia.B d'x,a de[ ~.Wq'y -a{l ? ~yide[ yen.v yiP -l;[ a'j/x,y r,v]a a.jex -l'k.B ? r'b'D ~.Wq'y ~yide[ -h'v{l.v yiP -l;[ w{a
16
"If a
malicious witness rises up against a
man to
accuse him of
wrongdoing,
w{B tw{n][;l vyia.B s'm'x -de[ ~.Wq'y -yiK ? h'r's
17
then
both the
men who have the
dispute shall
stand before the
LORD,
before the
priests and the
judges who will be in office in
those days.
byir'h ~,h'l -r,v]a ~yiv'n]a'h -yen.v .Wd.m'[.w ? r,v]a ~yij.p{V;h.w ~yin]h{K;h yen.pil h'wh.y yen.pil ? ~eh'h ~yim'Y;B .Wy.hIy
18
"The
judges shall
investigate thoroughly, and
if the
witness is a
false witness and he has
accused his
brother falsely,
r,q,v -de[ heNih.w bejyeh ~yij.p{V;h .Wv.r'd.w ? wyix'a.b h'n'[ r,q,v de['h
19
then you shall
do to him
just as he had
intended to
do to his
brother. Thus you shall
purge the
evil from
among you.
wyix'a.l tw{f][;l ~;m'z r,v]a;K w{l ~,tyif][;w ? '$,B.riQim ['r'h 'T.r;[ib.W
20
"The
rest will
hear and be
afraid, and will
never again * do such an
evil thing among you.
.Wpis{y -a{l.w .Wa'rIy.w .W[.m.vIy ~yir'a.viN;h.w ? '$,B.riq.B h,Z;h ['r'h r'b'D;K dw{[ tw{f][;l
21
"Thus you shall not
show pity:
life for
life,
eye for
eye,
tooth for
tooth,
hand for
hand,
foot for
foot.
!Iy;[.B !Iy;[ ]v,p,n.B v,p,n '$,nye[ sw{x't a{l.w ? l,g'r.B l,g,r d'y.B d'y !ev.B !ev