Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 "After the Lord your God has destroyed the people whose land he is giving you and after you have taken their cities and houses and settled there,
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When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,
2 divide the territory into three parts, each with a city that can be easily reached. Then any of you that kill will be able to escape to one of them for protection.
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you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess.
4 If you accidentally kill someone who is not your enemy, you may escape to any of these cities and be safe.
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This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past—
5 For example, if two of you go into the forest together to cut wood and if, as one of you is chopping down a tree, the ax head comes off the handle and kills the other, you can run to one of those three cities and be safe.
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as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood and his hand swings the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live.
6 If there were only one city, the distance to it might be too great, and the relative who is responsible for taking revenge for the killing might catch you and angrily kill an innocent person. After all, it was by accident that you killed someone who was not your enemy.
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Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.
7 This is why I order you to set aside three cities.
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Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.
8 "When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he told your ancestors he would, and gives you all the land he has promised,
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If the LORD your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
9 then you are to select three more cities. (He will give you this land if you do everything that I command you today and if you love the Lord your God and live according to his teachings.)
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and if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways, then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, in addition to these three.
10 Do this, so that innocent people will not die and so that you will not be guilty of putting them to death in the land that the Lord is giving you.
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This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.
11 "But suppose you deliberately murder your enemy in cold blood and then escape to one of those cities for protection.
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But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;
12 In that case, the leaders of your own town are to send for you and hand you over to the relative responsible for taking revenge for the murder, so that you may be put to death.
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then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 No mercy will be shown to you. Israel must rid itself of murderers, so that all will go well.
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Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
14 "Do not move your neighbor's property line, established long ago in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
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You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.
15 "One witness is not enough to convict someone of a crime; at least two witnesses are necessary to prove that someone is guilty.
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One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
16 If any of you try to harm another by false accusations,
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If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
17 both of you are to go to the one place of worship and be judged by the priests and judges who are then in office.
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then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;
18 The judges will investigate the case thoroughly; and if you have made a false accusation,
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and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,
19 you are to receive the punishment the accused would have received. In this way your nation will get rid of this evil.
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then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
20 Then everyone else will hear what happened; they will be afraid, and no one will ever again do such an evil thing.
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Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you.
21 In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.
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Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.