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.
Градови-уточишта
1Кад Господ, Бог твој, истреби народе, чију земљу ти Господ, Бог твој, даје, и ти их наследиш, па се населиш у њиховим градовима и у њиховим кућама, 2издвој три града усред земље коју ти Господ, Бог твој, даје да заузмеш. 3Изгради себи пут онамо и подели натроје подручје земље, коју ти Господ, Бог твој, даје у наследство, тако да сваки убица може да побегне.
4Убица може да побегне и остане у животу само у случају да нехотице убије свога ближњега и да претходно није гајио мржњу према њему. 5На пример, ако неко оде са својим ближњим у шуму да сече дрва, па замахне секиром да посече дрво, а сечиво излети из дршке и удари његовог ближњега и убије га, он може да побегне у један од ових градова, те тако остане у животу. 6Иначе би осветник, разјарен, могао да гони убицу, и да га – због дужине пута – стигне и убије, иако убица не заслужује смртну казну, будући да није претходно гајио мржњу према њему. 7Зато ти заповедам да издвојиш три града.
8Ако Господ, Бог твој, прошири твоје подручје, као што се заклео твојим оцима, и да ти земљу коју је обећао да ће дати твојим оцима, 9зато што будеш држао ове његове заповести и вршио што ти заповедам данас, те будеш волео Господа, Бога свога и будеш следио његове путеве целог живота – онда овим градовима додај још три града. 10Тако се невина крв неће проливати у твојој земљи коју ти Господ, Бог твој, даје у наследство. У противном, крв ће пасти на тебе.
11Али ако неко мрзи свога ближњега и вреба га, па га удари и убије, а онда побегне у један од ових градова, 12нека старешине његовог града пошаљу по њега, нека га доведу оданде и предају га крвном осветнику да га усмрти. 13Не сажаљевај се над њим! Тако ћеш искоренити проливање невине крви у Израиљу, па ће ти бити добро.
14Не померај камен међаш свога ближњега, којим су твоји преци омеђили твоје наследство, што ћеш примити у земљи коју ти Господ, Бог твој, даје да заузмеш.
Лажно сведочење
15Један једини сведок не сме да сведочи против некога ко је починио било какав злочин или преступ. Оптужба може да се потврди само на основу изјаве два или три сведока.
16Ако злонамерни сведок сведочи против некога да га окриви за преступ, 17тада нека оба човека који се споре стану пред Господа, пред свештенике и судије, који буду служили у то време. 18Онда судије нека добро испитају случај. Ако се испостави да је сведочанство лажно, то јест, да је сведок лажно оптужио свога брата, 19учините му оно што је он смишљао да учини своме брату. Тако ћеш искоренити зло из своје средине. 20Кад остали чују за то, бојаће се, те неће више чинити такво зло у твојој средини. 21Не показуј сажаљење! Живот за живот, око за око, зуб за зуб, рука за руку, нога за ногу.
