| New King James Version | King James Bible |
| 1“When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, | 1When 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; |
| 2you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess. | 2Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. |
| 3You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there. | 3Thou 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. |
| 4“And this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him in time past— | 4And 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; |
| 5as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live; | 5As 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: |
| 6lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. | 6Lest 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. |
| 7Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’ | 7Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. |
| 8“Now if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, | 8And 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; |
| 9and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, | 9If 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: |
| 10lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you. | 10That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. |
| 11“But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, | 11But 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: |
| 12then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. | 12Then 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. |
| 13Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you. | 13Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. |
| 14“You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. | 14Thou 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. |
| 15“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. | 15One 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. |
| 16If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, | 16If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; |
| 17then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. | 17Then 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; |
| 18And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, | 18And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; |
| 19then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you. | 19Then 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. |
| 20And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. | 20And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. |
| 21Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. | 21And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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