New Century Version NCV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 When the Lord your God gives you land that belongs to the other nations, nations that he will destroy, you will force them out and live in their cities and houses.
1
"When ADONAI your God cuts off the nations whose land ADONAI your God is giving you, and you take their place and settle in their cities and houses,
2 Then choose three cities in the middle of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
2
you are to set aside three cities for yourselves in your land that ADONAI your God is giving you to possess.
3 Build roads to these cities, and divide the land the Lord is giving you into three parts so that someone who kills another person may run to these cities.
3
Divide the territory of your land, which ADONAI your God is having you inherit, into three parts; and prepare the roads, so that any killer can flee to these cities.
4 This is the rule for someone who kills another person and runs to one of these cities in order to save his life. But the person must have killed a neighbor without meaning to, not out of hatred.
4
The killer who will live if he flees there is someone who has killed his fellow member of the community by mistake, who did not hate him in the past.
5 For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood and swings an ax to cut down a tree. If the ax head flies off the handle, hitting and killing the neighbor, the one who killed him may run to one of these cities to save his life.
5
An example would be if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood and takes a stroke with the axe to fell a tree, but the head of the axe flies off the handle, hits his neighbor and kills him. Then he is to flee to one of these cities and live there.
6 Otherwise, the dead person's relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer might be angry and chase him. If the city is far away, the relative might catch and kill the person, even though he should not be killed because there was no intent to kill his neighbor.
6
Otherwise the next-of-kin avenger, in the heat of his anger, may pursue the killer, overtake him because the distance [to the city of refuge] is long, and strike him dead - even though he didn't deserve to die, inasmuch as he hadn't hated him in the past.
7 This is why I command you to choose these three cities.
7
This is why I am ordering you to set aside for yourselves three cities.
8
8
"If ADONAI your God expands your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, and gives you all the land he promised to give to your ancestors -
9 Carefully obey all these laws I'm giving you today. Love the Lord your God, and always do what he wants you to do. Then the Lord your God will enlarge your land as he promised your ancestors, giving you the whole land he promised to them. After that, choose three more cities of safety
9
provided you keep and observe all these mitzvot I am giving you today, loving ADONAI your God and always following his ways - then you are to add three more cities for yourselves, besides these three;
10 so that innocent people will not be killed in your land, the land that the Lord your God is giving you as your own. By doing this you will not be guilty of allowing the death of innocent people.
10
so that innocent blood will not be shed in the land ADONAI your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus blood guilt be on you.
11 But if a person hates his neighbor and, after hiding and waiting, attacks and kills him and then runs to one of these cities for safety,
11
"However, if someone hates his fellow member of the community, lies in wait for him, attacks him, strikes him a death blow, and then flees into one of these cities;
12 the older leaders of his own city should send for the murderer. They should bring the person back from the city of safety and hand him over to the relative who has the duty of punishing the murderer.
12
then the leaders of his own town are to send and bring him back from there and hand him over to the next-of-kin avenger, to be put to death.
13 Show no mercy. You must remove from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people so that things will go well for you.
13
You are not to pity him. Rather, you must put an end to the shedding of innocent blood in Isra'el. Then things will go well with you.
14 Do not move the stone that marks the border of your neighbor's land, which people long ago set in place. It marks what you inherit in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
14
"You are not to move your neighbor's boundary marker from the place where people put it long ago, in the inheritance soon to be yours in the land ADONAI your God is giving you to possess.
15 One witness is not enough to accuse a person of a crime or sin. A case must be proved by two or three witnesses.
15
"One witness alone will not be sufficient to convict a person of any offense or sin of any kind; the matter will be established only if there are two or three witnesses testifying against him.
16 If a witness lies and accuses a person of a crime,
16
"If a malicious witness comes forward and gives false testimony against someone,
17 the two people who are arguing must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and judges who are on duty.
17
then both the men involved in the controversy are to stand before ADONAI, before the cohanim and the judges in office at the time.
18 The judges must check the matter carefully. The witness who is a liar, lying about a fellow Israelite,
18
The judges are to investigate carefully. If they find that the witness is lying and has given false testimony against his brother,
19 must be punished. He must be punished in the same way the other person would have been punished. You must get rid of the evil among you.
19
you are to do to him what he intended to do to his brother. In this way, you will put an end to such wickedness among you.
20 The rest of the people will hear about this and be afraid, and no one among you will ever do such an evil thing again.
20
Those who remain will hear about it, be afraid and no longer commit such wickedness among you.
21 Show no mercy. A life must be paid for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.
21
Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.