Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 313
19:7–20:3
D e u teronom y
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toward the person who died. That is why I am commanding you to set
aside three cities of refuge.
“And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your
ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised them, you must designate three additional cities of refuge. (He will give you this land if you are
careful to obey all the commands I have given y ou—if you always love
the Lord your God and walk in his ways.) That way you will prevent the
death of innocent people in the land the Lord your God is giving you as
your special possession. You will not be held responsible for the death of
innocent people.
“But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge. In that
case, the elders of the murderer’s hometown must send agents to the city
of refuge to bring him back and hand him over to the dead person’s avenger
to be put to death. Do not feel sorry for that murderer! Purge from Israel
the guilt of murdering innocent people; then all will go well with you.
“When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone’s land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property.
“You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one
witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two
or three witnesses.
“If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime,
then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his
fellow Israelite, you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended
for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you.
Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an
evil thing. You must show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life
for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
“When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots
and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! When you prepare
for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. He will
say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you
go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble
