1When thy Lord God hath destroyed the folks, whose land he shall give to thee, and thou hast wielded it, and hast dwelled in the cities, and in [the] houses thereof;

2thou shalt separate three cities to thee in the midst of the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee into possession.

3Thou shalt make ready diligently the way, and thou shalt part evenly into three parts all the provinces of thy land, that he that is exiled for manslaying, have nigh hand whither he may escape.

4This shall be the law of a man-slayer fleeing, whose life shall be kept. If a man smiteth unwittingly his neighbour, and which is proved to have not had any hatred against him yesterday, and the third day ago,

5but to have gone simply with him into the wood to hew down trees, and in the felling down of trees the ax flieth from his hand, and the iron slideth from the helve, and smiteth, and slayeth his friend; this man shall flee to one of the foresaid cities, and shall live;

6lest peradventure the next kinsman of him, whose blood is shed out, be pricked with sorrow, and pursue, and take him, if the way is longer, and slay his life, that is not guilty of death; for it is showed that he had not any hatred before against him that is slain.

7Therefore I command to thee, that thou separate three cities of even space betwixt themselves.

8Forsooth when thy Lord God hath alarged thy terms, as he swore to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which he promised to them;

9if nevertheless thou keepest his commandments, and doest those things which I command to thee today, that thou love thy Lord God, and go in his ways in all time, thou shalt add to thee three other cities, and thou shalt double the number of the foresaid cities,

10that guiltless blood be not shed out in the midst of the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee to have in possession, lest thou be guilty of blood.

11Forsooth if any man hateth his neighbour, and setteth ambushes to his life, and riseth up against him privily, and smiteth him, and he is dead, and the manslayer fleeth to one of the foresaid cities,

12the elder men of that city shall send, and take him from the place of refuge; and they shall betake him into the hand of the next kinsman of him, whose blood is shed out, and he shall die,

13and thou shalt not have mercy upon him; and thou shalt do away guilty blood from Israel, that it be well to thee.

14Thou shalt not take, and turn over, the terms of thy neighbour, which the former men set in thy possession, which thy Lord God shall give to thee in the land, which land thou shalt take to be wielded.

15One witness shall not stand against any man, whatever thing it is of sin, and of wickedness; but each word shall stand in the mouth of twain [or two], either of three witnesses.

16If a false witness standeth against a man, and accuseth him of breaking of the law,

17both they, of whom the cause is, shall stand before the Lord, in the sight of priests, and of judges, that be in those days.

18And when they seeking the cause most diligently, have found that the false witness said a lie against his brother,

19they shall yield to him, as he thought to have done to his brother; and thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee,

20that other men hear, and have dread, and be no more hardy to do such things. Thou shalt not have mercy on him,

21but thou shalt ask life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.