1
And when the time should come that YHVHa, thy Elohimb, hath cut off the nations whose land YHVH shall giveth thee, and thou succeedestc them and dwellest in their cities and in their houses,
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Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land which YHVH, thy Elohim, giveth thee to possess.
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And thou shalt prepare thee a way and divide the coasts of thy land, which YHVH, thy Elohim, giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayera may flee thither.
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And this is the case of the slayer which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he intended not to hurt in time past:
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If the 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,
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Lest the avengera 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.
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Wherefore, I command thee, saying: Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
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¶ And if YHVH, thy Elohim, enlarge thy coast as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers,
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If thou shalt keep all these mitzvotha to do them, which I command thee this day, to love YHVH, thy Elohim, and to walk ever in His ways, then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three,
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And this that innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which YHVH, thy Elohim, giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
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¶ But if any man hateth 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,
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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.
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And 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.
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¶ Thou shalt not remove the landmark of thy neighbor, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that YHVH, thy Elohim, giveth thee to possess it.
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One witness shall not rise up against anyone for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that they sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established.
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And if a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong, then both between whom the controversy is, shall stand before YHVH, before the Priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
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And the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness be a false witness and hath testified falsely against his brother,
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Then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
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And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
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And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.