1   VVhen our Lord thy God hath destroyed the nations, whose land he wil deliuer to thee, and thou doest possesse it, and dwellest in the cities and houses therof:

2   three cities shalt thou separate to thee in the middes of the Land, which our Lord thy God wil geue thee in possession,

3    ^notepreparing diligently the way: and thou shalt diuide the whole prouince of thy Land equally into three partes: that he which for murder is a fugitiue, may haue neere at hand, whither to escape.

4   This shal be the law of the murderer that fleeth, whose life is to be saued: He that striketh his neighbour vnwitting, and that is proued yesterday and the day before to haue had no hatred against him:

5   but to haue gone with him simply vnto the wood to cutte wood, and in cutting the wood of axe slipped out of his hand, and the yron falling from the handle strooke his freind, and killed him: he shal flee to one of the cities aforesaid, and liue:

6   lest perhaps the next kinseman of him, whose bloud was shed, pricked with sorow, pursew, and apprehend him if the way be too long, and stricke his life, that is not guiltie of death, because he is proued to haue had no hatred before, against him that was slaine.

7   Therfore I command thee, that thou separat three cities of equal distance one from an other.

8   And when our Lord thy God shal haue dilated thy borders, as he sware to thy fathers, and shal geue thee al the Land, that he promised them,

9   (yet so, if thou keepe his commandementes, and do the thinges which I command thee this day, that thou loue our Lord thy God, and walke in his wayes at al time) thou shalt adde to thee other three cities, and shalt duble the number of the three cities aforesaid:

10   that innocent

Cities of refuge. bloud be not shed in the middes of the Land, which our Lord thy God wil geue thee to possesse, lest thou be guiltie of bloud.

11   But if any man hating his neighbour, lie in wayte for his life, and rise and strike him, and he die, and he flee to one of the cities aforesaid,

12   the ancientes of his citie shal send, acd take him out of the place of refuge, and shal deliuer him into the hand of the kinseman of him, whose bloud was shed, and he shal die.

13    ^noteThou shalt not pitie him, and thou shalt take away the guiltie bloud out of Israel, that it may be wel with thee.

14   Thou shalt not take, and transferre thy neighbours boundes, which thy predecessours did sette in thy possession, which our Lord thy God wil geue thee in the Land, that thou shalt receiue to possesse.

15   One witnesse shal not stand against any man, whatsoeuer sinne, or wickednesse it be: but in the mouth of two or three witnesses shal euerie word stand.

16   If a lying witnesse stand against a man, accusing him of preuarication,

17   both of them, whose the cause is, shal stand before our Lord in the sight of the priestes and the iudges that shal be in those daies.

18   And when searching most diligently, they shal finde that the false witnes hath said a lie against his brother:

19   they shal render to him as he meant to doe to his brother, and thou shalt take away the euil out of the middes of thee:

20   that others hearing may haue feare, and may not be bold to doe such things.

21    ^noteThou shalt not pitie him, but life for life, eie for eie, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foote for foote shalt thou exacte.

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