Cities of Refuge
(Numbers 35:9–34; Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Joshua 20:1–9)

1When the Lorde thy Gad hath destroyed the nacyons whose londe the Lorde thy God geueth the, and thou hast conquered the and dwellest in their cities and in their housses: 2thou shalt appoynte .iij. cities in the lande whiche the Lorde thy God geueth the to possesse it: 3thou shalt prepare the waye and deuyde the costes of thy lande whiche the Lorde thy God geueth the to enheret, in to .iij. partes that whosoeuer committeth murthur may flee thither.

4And this is the cause of the sleyer that shal flee thither and be saued: Yf he smyte his neghboure ignorantly and hated him not in tyme passed: 5As when a man goeth vnto the wodd with his neghboure to hew wod, and as his hade fetcheth a stroke with the axe, the head slippeth from the helue and smyteth his neghboure that he dye: the same shall flee vnto one off the same cities ad be saued. 6Lest the executer of bloude folowe after the sleyer while his hert is whote and ouertake him, because the waye is longe, and slee him, and yet there is no cause worthy of deeth in him, in as moch as he hated not his neghbour in tyme passed. 7Wherfore I commaunde the sayeng: se that thou appoynte out .iij. cities.

8And yf the Lorde thy God enlarge thy costes as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers and geue the all the londe which he sayed he wold geue vnto thy fathers 9(so that thou kepe all these commaundmentes to doo them, which I commaunde the this daye, that thou loue the Lord thy god ad walke in his wayes euer) then thou shalt adde .iij. cities moo vnto those .iij. 10that innocent bloude be not shed in thi lande which the Lorde thy God geueth the to enheret, and so bloude come vppon the,

11But and yf there be any man that hateth his neyghboure and layeth awayte for him and ryseth agenst him and smyteth him that he d ye, and fleeth vnto any of these cities. 12Then let the elders of his citie sende and fetche him thence and delyuer him in to the hondes of the iustice of bloude, and he shall dye, 13Let thyne eye haue no pitie on him, and so thou shalt put awaye innocent bloude from Israel, and happie arte thou.

14Thou shalt not remoue thy neghbours marke which they of olde tyme haue sett in thyne enheritaunce that thou enherettest in the londe which the Lorde thy God geueth the to enioye it.

The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses
(Matthew 18:15–20)

15One witnesse shall not ryse agenst a man in any maner trespace or synne, what soeuer synne a man synneth: But at the mouthe of two witnesses or of .iij. witnesses shall all maters be tryed. 16Yf an vnrighteous witnesse ryse vp agenst a man to accuse him of trespace: 17then let both the men which stryue together stonde before the Lorde, before the preastes and the iudges which shalbe in those dayes, 18and let the iudges enquyre a good. And yf the witnesse be founde false and that he hath geuen false witnesse agenst his brother 19the shall ye do vnto hi as he had tought to do vnto his brother, and so thou shalt put euel away fro the. 20And other shal heare ad feare ad shal heceforth comytt no more any soch wekednesse amog you. 21And let thyne eye haue no compassio, but life for life, eye for eye, toth for toth, hande for hand, and fote for fote.