Deuteronomy 19
1
"When p 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,
2
q you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
3
You 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
"This is the provision for r the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past -
5
as 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,
6
lest s 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.
7
Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities.
8
t And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, u as he has sworn to your fathers, and v gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers -
9
provided 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 - w then you shall add three other cities to these three,
10
lest 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
"But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him x and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities,
12
then 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.
13
y Your eye shall not pity him, z but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
14
a "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
"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. b Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
16
If c a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing,
17
then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, d before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days.
18
The judges shall e inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,
19
f then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
20
And the rest g shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.
21
y Your eye shall not pity. h It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 12:29
When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land.
-
Cross References
Exodus 21:13
But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.
Numbers 35:10
Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan.
Numbers 35:14
You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.
Joshua 20:2
Say to the people of Israel, 'Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses.
Joshua 20:8
And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 4:42
That the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life:
Numbers 35:15
These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.
Joshua 20:3
That the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.
Joshua 20:5
And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past.
-
Cross References
Numbers 35:12
The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
Numbers 35:19
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
Numbers 35:21
Or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
Numbers 35:24 - 25
Then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.
Numbers 35:27
And the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 12:20
When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire.
-
Cross References
Exodus 34:24
For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
Exodus 23:31
And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
-
Cross References
Genesis 15:18 - 21
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 19:2
You shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
Joshua 20:7
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 27:24
"'Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
Exodus 21:12
Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.
Exodus 21:14
But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
Numbers 35:16 - 21
But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 7:16
And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 21:9
So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
Numbers 35:33
You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
1 Kings 2:31
The king replied to him, "Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 27:17
"'Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
Job 24:2
Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them.
Proverbs 22:28
Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.
Proverbs 23:10
Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless.
Hosea 5:10
The princes of Judah have become like those who move the landmark; upon them I will pour out my wrath like water.
-
Cross References
Matthew 18:16
But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
2 Corinthians 13:1
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
Numbers 35:30
If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
-
Cross References
Exodus 23:1
You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
Psalms 35:11
Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:8 - 9
If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the Lord your God will choose.
Deuteronomy 21:5
Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to him and to bless in the name of the Lord, and by their word every dispute and every assault shall be settled.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 13:14
Then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you.
Deuteronomy 17:4
And it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel.
-
Cross References
Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
Proverbs 19:9
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.
Daniel 6:24
And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions - they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 13:11
And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.
-
Cross References
Deuteronomy 19:13
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
-
Cross References
Exodus 21:23 - 24
But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.