(KJV) Deuteronomy 19¹

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⥃Cities of Refuge ^{[ Numbers 35:9–34 † Deuteronomy 4:41–43 † Joshua 20:1–9 ]}

[1] When the Lord thy God hath cut² off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest³ them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; [2] Thou shalt separate three cities⁴ for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. [3] 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.⁵

[4] [¶]And this [is] the case of the slayer⁶, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past⁷; [5] 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 head⁸ slippeth from the helve⁹, and lighteth¹⁰ upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee¹¹ unto one of those cities, and live: [6] Lest the avenger¹² of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him¹³; whereas he [was] not worthy¹⁴ of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past¹⁵. [7] Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. [8] 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;¹⁶ [9] If thou shalt¹⁷ 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 thou¹⁸ add three cities more for thee, beside these three: [10] 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.¹⁹

[11] [¶]But if any²⁰ man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally²¹ that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: [12] 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.²² [13] Thine eye²³ shall not pity him, but thou²⁴ shalt put away [the guilt of] innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

[14] Thou shalt not remove²⁵ 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.

⥃The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses ^{[ Matthew 18:15–20 ]}

[15] [¶]One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth²⁶ of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

[16] [¶]If a false witness²⁷ rise up against any man to testify against him [that which is] wrong²⁸; [17] 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;²⁹ [18] And the judges shall make diligent³⁰ inquisition: and, behold, [if] the witness [be] a false witness, [and] hath testified falsely against his brother; [19] Then shall³¹ ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt³² thou put the evil away from among you. [20] And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.³³ [21] And thine eye³⁴ shall not pity; [but] life [shall³⁵ go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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