Deuteronomy 19 - English Standard Version (ESV)

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge

19 “When (A)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 (B)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[a] 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 (C)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 (D)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 (E)And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, (F)as he has sworn to your fathers, and (G)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—(H)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 (I)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 (J)Your eye shall not pity him, (K)but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood[b] from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Property Boundaries

14 (L)“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.

Laws Concerning Witnesses

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. (M)Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If (N)a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, (O)before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall (P)inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 (Q)then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil[c] from your midst. 20 And the rest (R)shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 (S)Your eye shall not pity. (T)It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:3 Hebrew road
  2. Deuteronomy 19:13 Or the blood of the innocent
  3. Deuteronomy 19:19 Or evil person

Cross references

  1. Deuteronomy 19:1 : ch. 12:29
  2. Deuteronomy 19:2 : Ex. 21:13; Num. 35:10, 14; Josh. 20:2, 8
  3. Deuteronomy 19:4 : ch. 4:42; Num. 35:15; Josh. 20:3, 5
  4. Deuteronomy 19:6 : Num. 35:12, 19, 21, 24, 25, 27
  5. Deuteronomy 19:8 : ch. 12:20
  6. Deuteronomy 19:8 : Ex. 34:24; [Ex. 23:31]
  7. Deuteronomy 19:8 : See Gen. 15:18-21
  8. Deuteronomy 19:9 : ver. 2; [Josh. 20:7]
  9. Deuteronomy 19:11 : ch. 27:24; Ex. 21:12, 14; See Num. 35:16-21
  10. Deuteronomy 19:13 : See ch. 7:16
  11. Deuteronomy 19:13 : ch. 21:9; Num. 35:33; [1 Kgs. 2:31]
  12. Deuteronomy 19:14 : ch. 27:17; Job 24:2; Prov. 22:28; 23:10; Hos. 5:10
  13. Deuteronomy 19:15 : Cited Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; See Num. 35:30
  14. Deuteronomy 19:16 : [Ex. 23:1; Ps. 35:11]
  15. Deuteronomy 19:17 : ch. 17:8, 9; [ch. 21:5]
  16. Deuteronomy 19:18 : ch. 13:14; 17:4
  17. Deuteronomy 19:19 : Prov. 19:5, 9; [Dan. 6:24]
  18. Deuteronomy 19:20 : See ch. 13:11
  19. Deuteronomy 19:21 : [See ver. 13 above]; See ch. 7:16
  20. Deuteronomy 19:21 : See Ex. 21:23, 24

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Deuteronomy 19 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

19 `When Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses, 2 three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it. 3 ...
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19 When thy Lord God hath destroyed the folks, whose land he shall give to thee, and thou hast wielded it, and hast dwelled in the cities, and in [the] houses thereof; 2 thou shalt separate three cities to thee in the midst of the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee into possession. (thou sh...
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Deuteronomy 19 - World English Bible (WEB)

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Deuteronomy 19 - The Voice (VOICE)

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Deuteronomy 19 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

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Deuteronomy 19 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Laws concerning the Cities of Refuge19 “When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God gives you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for you in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess. 3 ...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Laws concerning the Cities of Refuge19 When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their towns and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to pos...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Laws concerning the Cities of Refuge19 “When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you and you have dispossessed them and settled in their towns and in their houses,(A)2 you shall set apart three cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to po...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Cities of Refuge19 “When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he is giving you, you will take over their land and settle in their towns and homes. 2 Then you must set apart three cities of refuge in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 3 Survey the territory,[a] and divide the land...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New Life Version (NLV)

The Cities to Be a Safe Place19 “The Lord your God will destroy the nations whose land the Lord your God gives you. You will take their place and live in their cities and in their houses. At that time 2 you should set apart three cities for yourself in the land the Lord your God gives you for your ...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Three Cities of Refuge(A)19 “When the Lord your God (B)has cut 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 (C)you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is gi...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Cities of refuge19 When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, 2 then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 Determine the distances i...
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Deuteronomy 19 - New International Version (NIV)

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Deuteronomy 19 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

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