1 When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and live in their cities and houses, 2 set apart three cities for yourself in the midst of your land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3 Prepare the way and divide into three parts the territory of your land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any killer may flee there. 4 This is the case of the killer who may flee there and live: one who strikes his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him previously. 5 For example, a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the ax to cut the tree, and the iron head slips from the handle, strikes his neighbor, and he dies. That man may flee to one of these cities and live, 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the killer while his heart is hot, overtake him because the journey is long, and strike him dead, though he is not liable to a sentence of death, because he had not hated him previously. 7 Therefore I command you, saying, ‘Set apart three cities for yourself.’

8 If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land he spoke of giving your fathers, 9 if you keep this whole commandment that I command you today, to do it, loving the LORD your God and walking in his ways always, then add three more cities to these three, 10 so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of your land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and bloodguilt does not come upon you.

11 But if a man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send for him, take him from there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, so that he dies. 13 Your eye shall not pity him. Purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, and it shall go well with you.

14 You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary marker that those of former times set, in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

15 One witness shall not stand against a man for any iniquity or any sin, whatever sin he commits. On the testimony of two witnesses or on the testimony of three witnesses, a matter shall be established. 16 If a malicious witness rises against a man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire carefully, and if the witness is a false witness who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he plotted to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from among you. 20 Those who remain shall hear and fear, and never again do such an evil thing among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.