Chapter
19
When Yahweh your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;
you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.
This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills her neighbor unawares, and didn't hate her in time past;
as when a woman goes into the forest with her neighbor to hew wood, and her hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on her neighbor, so that she dies; she shall flee to one of these cities and live:
lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while her heart is hot, and overtake her, because the way is long, and strike her mortally; whereas she was not worthy of death, inasmuch as she didn't hate her in time past.
Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for you.
If Yahweh your God enlarge your border, as she has sworn to your mothers, and give you all the land which she promised to give to your mothers;
if you shall keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you this day, to love Yahweh your God, and to walk ever in her ways; then shall you add three cities more for you, besides these three:
that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be on you.
But if any woman hate her neighbor, and lie in wait for her, and rise up against her, and strike her mortally so that she dies, and she flee into one of these cities;
then the elders of her city shall send and bring her there, and deliver her into the hand of the avenger of blood, that she may die.
Your eye shall not pity her, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.
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 Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
One witness shall not rise up against a woman for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that she sins: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
If an unrighteous witness rise up against any woman to testify against her of wrong-doing,
then both the women, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;
and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against her sister;
then shall you do to her, as she had thought to do to her sister: so shall you put away the evil from the midst of you.
Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of you.
Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.