Deuteronomium 19
Het Boek
Vrijsteden
19 ‘Wanneer de Here, uw God, de volken heeft vernietigd van wie u het land zult innemen, en u in hun steden en huizen woont, 2,3 moet u drie steden aanwijzen als vrijsteden. Zo kan iemand die onopzettelijk een ander heeft gedood, zichzelf in veiligheid brengen. Verdeel het land in drie gebieden, met in elk gebied een vrijstad. Zorg ervoor dat de wegen naar die steden in goede staat verkeren. 4 Ik noem u een voorbeeld van iemand die zijn naaste per ongeluk doodt, dus zonder hem te haten, en die dan naar een van deze steden kan vluchten. 5 Als iemand met zijn buurman het bos in gaat om hout te hakken en het blad van de bijl schiet van de steel en doodt de buurman, kan hij naar een van de vrijsteden vluchten. Hij zal daar veilig zijn 6,7 voor eventuele wrekers van de dode. De drie vrijsteden moeten verspreid liggen, zodat er altijd één in de buurt ligt. Anders zou de wreker de onschuldige dader kunnen inhalen en hem doden, zonder dat die de doodstraf heeft verdiend omdat hij zijn buurman niet met opzet heeft gedood. 8 Als de Here uw land vergroot, zoals Hij uw voorouders heeft beloofd, en Hij u al het land geeft dat Hij heeft beloofd 9 (of Hij dat zal doen, hangt af van uw gehoorzaamheid aan deze geboden die eisen dat u de Here, uw God, zult liefhebben en op zijn wegen zult wandelen), dan moet u daar drie extra vrijsteden aan toevoegen. 10 Zo zult u voorkomen dat in uw land onschuldigen worden gedood en zult u niet verantwoordelijk worden gesteld voor onrechtvaardig bloedvergieten. 11 Maar als iemand zijn naaste haat en hem vanuit een hinderlaag bespringt en vermoordt en daarna naar een van de vrijsteden vlucht, 12 dan zullen de leiders van zijn woonplaats hem daar laten ophalen en hem overleveren aan de wreker van de dode, zodat die hem kan doden. 13 Heb geen medelijden met zo iemand! Zo bevrijdt u zich van de bloedschuld die op Israël rust en dan het zal goed met u gaan.
14 Als u aankomt in het land dat de Here, uw God, u geeft, steel dan geen land van uw buurman door stiekem de grenspalen te verplaatsen die zijn voorouders volgens hun rechtmatig erfdeel hebben geplaatst. 15 Veroordeel niemand op grond van de uitspraak van slechts één getuige. Er moeten minstens twee of drie getuigen zijn. 16 Als iemand een vals getuigenis aflegt en zegt dat hij iemand anders iets strafbaars zag doen terwijl dat niet waar is, 17 moeten beide mannen voor de priesters en rechters worden gebracht die op dat moment dienst doen voor de Here. 18 Zij moeten zorgvuldig worden ondervraagd en als blijkt dat de getuige liegt, 19 zal zijn straf dezelfde zijn als die hij de andere man toewenste. Op die manier zult u het kwaad uit uw midden wegdoen. 20 Wie ervan horen, zullen dan wel oppassen dat ze geen leugens vertellen als zij moeten getuigen. 21 U mag geen medelijden hebben met een valse getuige. Hierbij geldt: leven om leven, oog om oog, tand om tand, hand om hand, voet om voet.’
Deuteronomy 19
King James Version
19 When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.
4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
8 And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deuteronomy 19
English Standard Version
Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge
19 “When (A)the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 (B)you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall measure the distances[a] and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.
4 “This is the provision for (C)the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— 5 as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, 6 lest (D)the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. 7 Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. 8 (E)And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, (F)as he has sworn to your fathers, and (G)gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— 9 provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—(H)then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.
11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him (I)and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 (J)Your eye shall not pity him, (K)but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood[b] from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
Property Boundaries
14 (L)“You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
Laws Concerning Witnesses
15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. (M)Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If (N)a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, (O)before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall (P)inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 (Q)then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil[c] from your midst. 20 And the rest (R)shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 (S)Your eye shall not pity. (T)It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 19:3 Hebrew road
- Deuteronomy 19:13 Or the blood of the innocent
- Deuteronomy 19:19 Or evil person
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