Deuteronomy 19

When 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;

When God has defeated the nations and gifted you their lands, and you've taken their place, living in their cities and homes;

Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

God asks you to set aside three cities within the land He has gifted you.

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.

Make roads and split the land God has given you into three parts, so anyone who has killed someone can flee to one of these cities.

And 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;

This is for the one who accidentally kills another, someone they held no grudge against before. They may run to a safe place to preserve their life.

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 head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

When a man accidentally kills his friend while chopping wood in the forest, because the axe head flies off and hits his friend, he should run to a safe city to save his life.

Lest 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.

Don't let the one seeking revenge chase and kill the offender out of anger, especially if the journey is long and the offender didn't deserve to die, having no previous hatred towards the victim.

Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

I instruct you with urgency and clarity: You must set aside three cities for yourself.

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;

If God blesses you with more territory, as He promised your ancestors, and gifts you all the land He vowed to them, feel His love and faithfulness.

If 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:

If you faithfully follow all these rules I'm giving you today, showing your love for God by always walking in His path, then you must set aside three more cities of refuge in addition to these three.

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.

Don't let the blood of the innocent stain your land, a gift from God. If you do, you'll carry the guilt.

But 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:

If anyone harbors hatred for another, plots against them, attacks them fatally, and then escapes to a city,

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.

The city's leaders will bring him back, handing him over to the one seeking justice, so he may face his end.

Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Show no mercy to the guilty, cleanse Israel of innocent bloodshed, for your own good.

Thou 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.

Don't shift your neighbor's boundary stone, set long ago in your inherited land, given to you by God.

One 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.

A single person's accusation isn't enough to condemn someone for any wrongdoing or sin they've committed. It takes the confirmation of two or three people to validate the claim.

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

If someone falsely accuses another, spreading lies about them unjustly;

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;

When two men are in dispute, they must present their case before God, in the presence of the priests and judges of that time.

And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;

The judges will thoroughly investigate. If they find that the witness has lied about his brother, then...

Then 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.

Treat him as he intended to treat his brother, this way you'll remove the evil from your midst.

And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

Those left will listen, feel fear, and promise to never again do such harm among you.

And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Show no mercy; for every life taken, a life must be given. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.