| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, | 1When the LORD your God annihilates the nations whose land He is giving you, so that you drive them out and live in their cities and houses, |
| 2then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. | 2you are to set apart three cities for yourselves within the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess. |
| 3You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities. | 3You are to determine the distances and divide the land the LORD your God is granting you as an inheritance into three regions, so that anyone who commits manslaughter can flee to these cities." |
| 4Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: | 4Here is the law concerning a case of someone who kills a person and flees there to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him: |
| 5If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life. | 5If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live. |
| 6Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. | 6Otherwise, the avenger of blood in the heat of his anger might pursue the one who committed manslaughter, overtake him because the distance is great, and strike him dead. Yet he did not deserve to die, since he did not previously hate his neighbor. |
| 7This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities. | 7This is why I am commanding you to set apart three cities for yourselves. |
| 8And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, | 8If the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised to give them-- |
| 9and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three. | 9provided you keep every one of these commands I am giving you today and follow them, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times--you are to add three more cities to these three. |
| 10Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. | 10In this way, innocent blood will not be shed, and you will not become guilty of bloodshed in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. |
| 11If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, | 11But if someone hates his neighbor, lies in ambush for him, attacks him, and strikes him fatally, and flees to one of these cities, |
| 12the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. | 12the elders of his city must send for him, take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood and he will die. |
| 13You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you. | 13You must not look on him with pity but purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and you will prosper." |
| 14You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. | 14You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, established at the start in the inheritance you will receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess." |
| 15A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. | 15One witness cannot establish any wrongdoing or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." |
| 16If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, | 16If a malicious witness testifies against someone accusing him of a crime, |
| 17both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. | 17the two people in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and judges in authority at that time. |
| 18The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, | 18The judges are to make a careful investigation, and if the witness turns out to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, |
| 19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. | 19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from you. |
| 20Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. | 20Then everyone else will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything evil like this among you. |
| 21You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. | 21You must not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot." |
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