Cities to Run to for Safety
1The Lord your God will destroy the nations whose land he is giving you. You will drive them out. And you will make your homes in their towns and their houses. 2When you do, set apart for yourselves three cities in the land. It’s the land the Lord your God is giving you to take as your own. 3Figure out the distances and then separate the land into three parts. Then anyone who kills another person can run to one of these cities for safety. They are in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
4Here is the rule about a person who kills someone. That person can run to one of those cities for safety. The rule applies to anyone who kills a neighbor they didn’t hate and didn’t mean to kill. 5For example, suppose a man goes into a forest with his neighbor to cut wood. When he swings his ax to chop down a tree, the head of the ax flies off. And it hits his neighbor and kills him. Then that man can run to one of those cities and save his life. 6If he doesn’t go to one of those cities, the dead man’s nearest male relative might become very angry. He might chase the man. If the city is too far away, he might catch him and kill him. But the man running to the city isn’t worthy of death, because he didn’t hate his neighbor. 7That’s why I command you to set apart for yourselves three cities.
8The Lord your God will increase the size of your territory. He promised your people of long ago that he would do it. He will give you the whole land he promised them. 9But he’ll do it only if you are careful to obey all the laws I’m commanding you today. I command you to love the Lord your God. You must always live as he wants you to live. Suppose you are careful to obey, and the Lord your God gives you more land. Then you must set apart three more cities. 10Do it to protect those not guilty of murder. Then you won’t spill their blood in your land. It’s the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
11But suppose a man hates his neighbor. So he hides and waits for him. Then he attacks him and kills him. And he runs to one of those cities for safety. 12If he does, the elders of his own town must send for him. He must be brought back from the city. He must be handed over to the dead man’s nearest male relative. Then the relative will kill him. 13Don’t feel sorry for him. He has killed someone who hadn’t done anything wrong. Crimes like that must be punished in Israel. Then things will go well with you.
14Don’t move your neighbor’s boundary stone. It was set up by people who lived there before you. It marks the border of a field in the land you will receive as your own. The Lord your God is giving you that land. You will take it over.
Witnesses
15Suppose someone is charged with committing a crime of any kind. Then one witness won’t be enough to prove that person is guilty. Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.
16Suppose a witness who tells lies goes to court and brings charges against someone. The witness says someone committed a crime. 17Then the two people in the case must stand in front of the Lord. They must stand in front of the priests and the judges who are in office at that time. 18The judges must check out the matter carefully. And suppose the witness is proved to be lying. Then he has said something false in court against another Israelite. 19So do to the lying witness what he tried to do to the other person. Get rid of that evil witness. 20The rest of the people will hear about it. And they will be afraid. They won’t allow such an evil thing to be done among them again. 21Don’t feel sorry for that evil person. A life must be taken for a life. An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth. A hand must be cut off for a hand and a foot for a foot.
設立避難城
1「你們的上帝耶和華毀滅那些民族，把他們的土地賜給你們，使你們趕走他們，住進他們的城邑和房屋後， 2-3你們要把土地劃分為三個地區，在每個地區設立一座避難城，修好通往這三座城的道路，以便誤殺人者可以逃往最近的避難城。
4「如果有人無意間殺了素無冤仇的同伴，他可以逃往避難城，以保住性命。 5例如，有人和朋友去森林砍樹，斧頭脫柄，誤殺了朋友，他就可以逃往避難城，以保住性命。 6否則，如果避難城離誤殺人者太遠，怒火中燒的報仇者就會追上去殺死他。其實他是不該死的，因為他與被誤殺的人素無冤仇。 7因此，我吩咐你們要設立三座避難城。
8-9「如果你們謹遵我今天吩咐你們的這一切誡命，愛你們的上帝耶和華，一生遵行祂的旨意，祂就會按照祂對你們祖先所起的誓，擴張你們的疆域，把應許給你們祖先的土地賜給你們。那時，你們要再設三座避難城， 10免得無辜人的血流在你們的上帝耶和華賜給你們作產業之地，以致你們擔當枉殺無辜的罪。
11「如果有人因憎恨鄰居而暗中埋伏，殺了鄰居，然後逃到避難城， 12他本城的長老要派人去把他帶回來，交給復仇的人，將他處死。 13不可憐憫他，要從以色列除掉這種濫殺無辜的罪，這樣你們才會順利。
14「在你們的上帝耶和華將要賜給你們作產業之地，你們不可挪動鄰居的界石，因為那是先人立的。
15「如果人犯了什麼罪或有什麼過失，不可憑一個證人作證就定罪，要有兩三個證人才可以定案。 16如果有人作偽證誣陷別人， 17訴訟雙方要站在耶和華面前，讓當值的祭司和審判官定奪。 18審判官要仔細審查案件，如果發現那人作偽證， 19就要按照他企圖加給被誣告者的傷害處罰他。這樣，就從你們當中除掉了罪惡。 20其他人聽說後，都會害怕，不敢再做這種惡事。 21你們對惡人不可心軟，要以命償命，以眼還眼，以牙還牙，以手還手，以腳還腳。
