19:1 "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,
19:1 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,

19:2 you shall set apart three cities for you in the land which the LORD your God gives you to possess.
19:2 you shall set apart three cities in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

19:3 You shall prepare the roads, and divide into three parts the area of the land which the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.
19:3 You shall calculate the distances and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any homicide can flee to one of them.

19:4 "This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If any one kills his neighbor unintentionally without having been at enmity with him in time past --
19:4 Now this is the case of a homicide who might flee there and live, that is, someone who has killed another person unintentionally when the two had not been at enmity before:

19:5 as when a man 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 save his life;
19:5 Suppose someone goes into the forest with another to cut wood, and when one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head slips from the handle and strikes the other person who then dies; the killer may flee to one of these cities and live.

19:6 lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and wound him mortally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he was not at enmity with his neighbor in time past.
19:6 But if the distance is too great, the avenger of blood in hot anger might pursue and overtake and put the killer to death, although a death sentence was not deserved, since the two had not been at enmity before.

19:7 Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities.
19:7 Therefore I command you: You shall set apart three cities.

19:8 And if the LORD your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers --
19:8 If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors--and he will give you all the land that he promised your ancestors to give you,

19:9 provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God and by walking ever in his ways -- then you shall add three other cities to these three,
19:9 provided you diligently observe this entire commandment that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God and walking always in his ways--then you shall add three more cities to these three,

19:10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.
19:10 so that the blood of an innocent person may not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, thereby bringing bloodguilt upon you.

19:11 "But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and attacks him, and wounds him mortally so that he dies, and the man flees into one of these cities,
19:11 But if someone at enmity with another lies in wait and attacks and takes the life of that person, and flees into one of these cities,

19:12 then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.
19:12 then the elders of the killer's city shall send to have the culprit taken from there and handed over to the avenger of blood to be put to death.

19:13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
19:13 Show no pity; you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

19:14 "In the inheritance which you will hold in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess, you shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set.
19:14 You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, set up by former generations, on the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

19:15 "A single witness shall not prevail against a man for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed; only on the evidence of two witnesses, or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained.
19:15 A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained.

19:16 If a malicious witness rises against any man to accuse him of wrongdoing,
19:16 If a malicious witness comes forward to accuse someone of wrongdoing,

19:17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days;
19:17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days,

19:18 the judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,
19:18 and the judges shall make a thorough inquiry. If the witness is a false witness, having testified falsely against another,

19:19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother; so you shall purge the evil from the midst of you.
19:19 then you shall do to the false witness just as the false witness had meant to do to the other. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

19:20 And the rest shall hear, and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.
19:20 The rest shall hear and be afraid, and a crime such as this shall never again be committed among you.

19:21 Your eye shall not pity; it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
19:21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.