New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Deuteronomy 19
1
The Lord your God will destroy the nations whose land he is giving you. You will drive them out. And you will settle down in their towns and houses.
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2
When 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.
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3
Build roads to those cities and separate the land into three parts. Then anyone who kills another person can run to one of the cities for safety. They are in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
4
Here is the rule about a person who kills someone. That person can run to one of those cities for safety. The rule applies to all those who kill a neighbor they didn't hate and didn't mean to kill.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 4:42
5
For 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.
6
If 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 he isn't worthy of death, because he didn't hate his neighbor.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 35:12
7
That's why I command you to set apart for yourselves three cities.
8
The Lord your God will increase the size of your territory. He took an oath and promised your fathers he would do it. He will give you the whole land he promised them.
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9
But he'll do it only if you are careful to obey all of the laws I'm commanding you today. I'm commanding you to love the Lord your God. I want you to live always as he wants you to live. When he gives you additional land, you must set apart three more cities.
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Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 12:32
10
Do it so the blood of those who aren't guilty of murder won't be spilled in your land. It's the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
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11
But 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.
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Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 27:24
12
If he does, the elders of his own town must send for him. He must be brought back from the city and handed over to the dead man's nearest male relative. The relative will kill him.
13
Don'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.
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14
Don'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.
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15
Suppose someone is charged with committing a crime of any kind. Then one witness won't be enough to prove he is guilty. Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.
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16
Suppose a witness who tells lies goes to court and brings charges against someone. The witness says that person committed a crime.
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17
Then 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.
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18
The judges must check out the matter carefully. And suppose the witness is proved to be lying. Then he has given false witness against another Israelite.
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19
So do to the lying witness what he tried to do to the other person. Get rid of that evil person.
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20
The 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.
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21
Don'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.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 19:13
Summary of Deuteronomy 19
Deuteronomy chapter 19 provides instruction about cities of refuge, accidental killings, false witnesses, and proper evidence in serious legal cases. Moses is continuing to prepare Israel for life in the land God has promised them by giving instruction designed to protect innocent people while ensuring justice to those who deliberately do wrong.
The chapter opens with the topic of cities of refuge. Moses instructs the Israelites to divide the land upon entering the Promised Land and to set aside three cities of refuge. Moses gives an example of a situation that would qualify a person for protection in a city of refuge. Two men could go out to the forest to chop wood, and while one is cutting the other has his axe fall from his hand and strike him in the head, killing him. The one who struck the man with the axe could flee to the city of refuge to wait until the trial to determine whether he should be fined or handed over to the avenger of blood.
Thus, cities of refuge were a way to ensure that someone who unintentionally took another person’s life would not be subject to an immediate killing in revenge. The distinction was important to the Law of Moses since a person who unintentionally killed was not considered guilty in quite the same way as someone who deliberately took another person’s life was.
Moses instructs the people to set up the cities of refuge in places easily accessible to those who needed to reach them. Good roads were to be built to ensure that people who had unintentionally killed could reach a city of refuge rapidly and safely. The land was to be divided into three districts with a city of refuge in each district.
Those unintentionally killing another person would be entitled to the protection of the city of refuge, but such protection was not extended to someone who deliberately took the life of another person. Moses gives the example of a person who hates his neighbor and goes to his house with the intent of killing him, striking him and killing him. In such a case, the murderer was not to be handed over to the city of refuge to avoid his being killed in revenge by the avenger of blood. Instead, the elders of the city where the murderer had taken refuge were to hand him over to the avenger of blood so that the murderer would not be able to continue living among his people, thus defiling the land of Israel with innocent blood.
The Israelites were to take these instructions seriously since they were necessary to ensure that the land of Israel was not defiled by innocent blood. They were to bring those who took the lives of others unintentionally to justice while ensuring that those who intentionally killed did not receive more leniency than they deserved.
Moses gives instruction concerning landmarks: the people were not to move their neighbor’s landmark backward or alter it. A landmark marked the borders of one’s property, and altering it meant taking possession of a neighbor’s property without due process of law. Moses draws a distinction because Israel was to be a society in which every person’s property was legitimately his own and protected by law.
The next topic is that of witnesses. Moses instructs that a person could not be convicted of a serious crime on the testimony of only one witness. Moses states, “At the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established.” It was crucial that an individual was not convicted of a crime like murder on the testimony of just one person since doing so could lead to miscarriages of justice.
If a malicious witness stood up and accused another person of a serious crime like murder, the judges were to investigate the claims thoroughly. It is likely that they would find that the accused person was not guilty, and the malicious witness who had testified falsely would be subject to judgment by the people for lying.
The Law provided appropriate punishment for a witness who had testified maliciously. If a person had testified falsely concerning a serious crime, the punishment was to fit the crime he had testified was committed. Moses states that if the false witness had said a person had committed a particular crime, the punishment would be as if he had done that crime. This was a way of ensuring that the evil in the person of the false witness was not allowed to continue unchecked.
Moses observes that when the people heard of the punishment for such a false witness, they would fear giving false testimony and being subject to judgment. Thus, the Law was designed both to punish those who gave false testimony and to stop them from doing so again. The people would also be deterred from accusing others of crimes they had not committed due to the harsh punishment and the need to be found by a judge to be telling the truth.
Life was to be protected under the Law. Moses states, “Life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” This verse concerns the type of punishment that was to fit the crime. It was not supposed to be harsher than necessary.
Deuteronomy 19 provides instruction that required Israel to make distinctions. An accidental killing was not to be punished the same as a premeditated killing, and a witness who told the truth was not to face the same punishment as a witness who had lied about a person committing a crime. Israel was to honor the life and property of her citizens and require them to do the same. The people were to honor the law and investigate accusations, not accepting them on faith but making sure that justice was truly being carried out. The people were to exercise mercy, giving protection to those who had unintentionally done wrong. The judges in Israel were to carry out the appropriate punishment for any crime while distinguishing between crimes that involved premeditation and those that did not.
The chapter opens with the topic of cities of refuge. Moses instructs the Israelites to divide the land upon entering the Promised Land and to set aside three cities of refuge. Moses gives an example of a situation that would qualify a person for protection in a city of refuge. Two men could go out to the forest to chop wood, and while one is cutting the other has his axe fall from his hand and strike him in the head, killing him. The one who struck the man with the axe could flee to the city of refuge to wait until the trial to determine whether he should be fined or handed over to the avenger of blood.
Thus, cities of refuge were a way to ensure that someone who unintentionally took another person’s life would not be subject to an immediate killing in revenge. The distinction was important to the Law of Moses since a person who unintentionally killed was not considered guilty in quite the same way as someone who deliberately took another person’s life was.
Moses instructs the people to set up the cities of refuge in places easily accessible to those who needed to reach them. Good roads were to be built to ensure that people who had unintentionally killed could reach a city of refuge rapidly and safely. The land was to be divided into three districts with a city of refuge in each district.
Those unintentionally killing another person would be entitled to the protection of the city of refuge, but such protection was not extended to someone who deliberately took the life of another person. Moses gives the example of a person who hates his neighbor and goes to his house with the intent of killing him, striking him and killing him. In such a case, the murderer was not to be handed over to the city of refuge to avoid his being killed in revenge by the avenger of blood. Instead, the elders of the city where the murderer had taken refuge were to hand him over to the avenger of blood so that the murderer would not be able to continue living among his people, thus defiling the land of Israel with innocent blood.
The Israelites were to take these instructions seriously since they were necessary to ensure that the land of Israel was not defiled by innocent blood. They were to bring those who took the lives of others unintentionally to justice while ensuring that those who intentionally killed did not receive more leniency than they deserved.
Moses gives instruction concerning landmarks: the people were not to move their neighbor’s landmark backward or alter it. A landmark marked the borders of one’s property, and altering it meant taking possession of a neighbor’s property without due process of law. Moses draws a distinction because Israel was to be a society in which every person’s property was legitimately his own and protected by law.
The next topic is that of witnesses. Moses instructs that a person could not be convicted of a serious crime on the testimony of only one witness. Moses states, “At the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established.” It was crucial that an individual was not convicted of a crime like murder on the testimony of just one person since doing so could lead to miscarriages of justice.
If a malicious witness stood up and accused another person of a serious crime like murder, the judges were to investigate the claims thoroughly. It is likely that they would find that the accused person was not guilty, and the malicious witness who had testified falsely would be subject to judgment by the people for lying.
The Law provided appropriate punishment for a witness who had testified maliciously. If a person had testified falsely concerning a serious crime, the punishment was to fit the crime he had testified was committed. Moses states that if the false witness had said a person had committed a particular crime, the punishment would be as if he had done that crime. This was a way of ensuring that the evil in the person of the false witness was not allowed to continue unchecked.
Moses observes that when the people heard of the punishment for such a false witness, they would fear giving false testimony and being subject to judgment. Thus, the Law was designed both to punish those who gave false testimony and to stop them from doing so again. The people would also be deterred from accusing others of crimes they had not committed due to the harsh punishment and the need to be found by a judge to be telling the truth.
Life was to be protected under the Law. Moses states, “Life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” This verse concerns the type of punishment that was to fit the crime. It was not supposed to be harsher than necessary.
Deuteronomy 19 provides instruction that required Israel to make distinctions. An accidental killing was not to be punished the same as a premeditated killing, and a witness who told the truth was not to face the same punishment as a witness who had lied about a person committing a crime. Israel was to honor the life and property of her citizens and require them to do the same. The people were to honor the law and investigate accusations, not accepting them on faith but making sure that justice was truly being carried out. The people were to exercise mercy, giving protection to those who had unintentionally done wrong. The judges in Israel were to carry out the appropriate punishment for any crime while distinguishing between crimes that involved premeditation and those that did not.