Deu 19 | NASB2020 | STEP | “ When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses ,

Deuteronomy 19

Cities of Refuge

1 “ ^aWhen the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, 2 ^byou shall set aside for yourself three cities in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to ^{▼▼Lit possess it}possess. 3 You shall prepare the ^{▼▼Lit road}roads for yourself, and divide into three regions the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as an inheritance, ^{▼▼Lit and it shall be for everyone who committed manslaughter to flee there}so that anyone who commits manslaughter may flee there.

4 “ ^fNow this is the case of the one who commits manslaughter, who may flee there and live: when he ^{▼▼Lit strikes}kills his friend ^{▼▼Lit without knowledge}unintentionally, ^{▼▼Lit and he was not hating him previously}not hating him previously-- 5 as when a person goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand ^{▼▼Lit is put to the}swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the ^{▼▼Lit wood}handle and ^{▼▼Lit finds}strikes his friend so that he dies--he may flee to one of these cities and live. 6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue ^{▼▼Lit the one who committed manslaughter}him ^{▼▼Lit while his heart is hot}in the heat of his anger, and overtake him because the way is long, and ^{▼▼Lit strike him in the soul}take his life, though he was not sentenced to death since he had not hated him previously. 7 Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall set aside for yourself three cities.’

8 “And if the Lord your God ^penlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that He ^{▼▼Lit spoke}promised to give your fathers-- 9 if you ^{▼▼Lit keep all...to do it}carefully follow all of this commandment which I am commanding you today, ^sto love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways always-- ^tthen you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10 So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and ^uguilt for bloodshed will not be on you.

11 “But ^vif there is a person who hates his neighbor, and waits in ambush for him and rises up against him and strikes ^{▼▼Lit him in the soul}him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send men and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 ^{▼▼Lit Your eye
,} ^yYou shall not pity him, but ^zyou shall eliminate the guilt for the bloodshed of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well for you.

Laws of Landmark and Testimony

14 “ ^aaYou shall not displace your neighbor’s boundary marker, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to ^{▼▼Lit possess it}possess.

15 “ ^acA single witness shall not rise up against a person regarding any wrongdoing or any sin ^{▼▼Lit in any sin, that he sins}that he commits; on the ^{▼▼Lit mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three}testimony of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. 16 ^afIf a malicious witness rises up against a person to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both people who have the dispute shall stand ^agbefore the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. 18 And the judges ^ahshall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has testified against his brother falsely, 19 then ^aiyou shall do to him just as he had planned to do to his brother. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you. 20 And ^ajthe rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. 21 So ^{▼▼Lit your eye
,} ^alyou shall not show pity: ^amlife for life, ^aneye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.