Deuteronomy Chapter 19
So when the Lord your God totally clears out those nations and hands you their land, and you vibe in their cities and homes;
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; {succeedest: Heb. inheritest, or, possessest}
You gotta carve out three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
You need to create a pathway and divide your land into three sections so anyone who messes up can bounce there.
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.
This is for the person who dashes there for safety: If someone accidentally takes out their neighbor, who they didn’t even have beef with;
And this {is} the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; {in...: Heb. from yesterday the third day}
Like when a bro heads to the forest with his homie to chop wood, and the axe slips, hitting his pal and he bites the dust; he should dip to one of those cities to stay safe.
As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour 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 neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: {head: Heb. iron} {helve: Heb. wood} {lighteth...: Heb. findeth}
Otherwise, the blood avenger might come after him while he’s mad, and catch him since the distance is long, and then he could be done for; he didn’t deserve that since he wasn't even hating on him.
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. {slay...: Heb. smite him in life} {in...: Heb. from yesterday the third day}
So I’m telling you, set aside three cities for yourself, no cap.
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
And if the Lord your God makes your territory bigger like he promised your ancestors, giving you all that land he said he would;
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 you stick to all these commands I’m dropping today, love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways; then you’ll score three more cities besides these.
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:
So innocent blood doesn’t get spilled in your land, which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, or else that blood's on you.
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 someone has hate for their neighbor, sets a trap, and takes them out, then dips to one of those cities;
But if any man hate his neighbour, 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: {mortally: Heb. in life}
Then the elders of that city will hit him up and hand him over to the blood avenger so he can face the music.
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.
Don’t feel sympathy for him, but clear the guilt of innocent blood from Israel so things go well for you.
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.
Don’t mess with your neighbor’s boundaries that were set ages ago in your inheritance, which you’ll snag in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour'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 can’t take a guy down for any wrongdoing; it’s gotta be two or three witnesses to back it up.
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 bogus witness stands up against someone to spread lies;
If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him {that which is} wrong; {that...: or, falling away}
Then both parties involved in the argument should show up before the Lord, with the priests and judges from back then;
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 will look into it closely: if the witness is fake and lied against his bro;
And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, {if} the witness {be} a false witness, {and} hath testified falsely against his brother;
Then you’ll do to him what he tried to pull on his brother: so you can remove the evil from among you.
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.
And those who are left will hear and be shook, and won’t pull any more shady stuff like that among you.
And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
And don’t feel remorse; life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
And thine eye shall not pity; {but} life {shall go} for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.