Chapter 19, When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy
God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their
houses, thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land,
which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land,
which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every
slayer may flee thither.
And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may
live.
Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past,
as when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand
fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the
helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he die, he shall flee unto one of
those cities, and live.
Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot,
and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him, whereas he was not worthy of
death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers,
and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers,
if thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day,
to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways, then shalt thou add three
cities more for thee, beside these three.
That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee
for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up
against him, and smite him mortally, that he die, and fleeth into one of these
cities, then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him
into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood
from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set
in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God
giveth thee to possess it.
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin,
in any sin that he sinneth.
At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses,
shall the matter be established.
If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is
wrong, then both the men between whom the controversy is shall stand before the
Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days.
And the judges shall make diligent inquisition, and behold, if the witness be
a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother, then shall ye
do unto him as he hath thought to have done unto his brother.
So shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
And those which remain shall hear and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more
any such evil among you.
And thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
This concludes Disc Number 11.