Deuteronomy 19-20

New International Version

Cities of Refuge^(A)

19 When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,^(B) ²then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

⁴This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. ⁵For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. ⁶Otherwise, the avenger of blood^(C) might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. ⁷This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

⁸If the Lord your God enlarges your territory,^(D) as he promised^(E) on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, ⁹because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him^(F)—then you are to set aside three more cities. ¹⁰Do this so that innocent blood^(G) will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.^(H)

¹¹But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor,^(I) and then flees to one of these cities, ¹²the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. ¹³Show no pity.^(J) You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood,^(K) so that it may go well with you.

¹⁴Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.^(L)

Witnesses

¹⁵One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.^(M)

¹⁶If a malicious witness^(N) takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, ¹⁷the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges^(O) who are in office at the time. ¹⁸The judges must make a thorough investigation,^(P) and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, ¹⁹then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party.^(Q) You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁰The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid,^(R) and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. ²¹Show no pity:^(S) life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.^(T)

Going to War

20 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours,^(U) do not be afraid^(V) of them,^(W) because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with^(X) you. ²When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. ³He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted^(Y) or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. ⁴For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you^(Z) to fight^(AA) for you against your enemies to give you victory.^(AB)”

⁵The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in^(AC) it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. ⁶Has anyone planted^(AD) a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it?^(AE) Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. ⁷Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.^(AF)” ⁸Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”^(AG) ⁹When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

¹⁰When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.^(AH) ¹¹If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject^(AI) to forced labor^(AJ) and shall work for you. ¹²If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. ¹³When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.^(AK) ¹⁴As for the women, the children, the livestock^(AL) and everything else in the city,^(AM) you may take these as plunder^(AN) for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. ¹⁵This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance^(AO) from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

¹⁶However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.^(AP) ¹⁷Completely destroy^[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,^(AQ) and you will sin^(AR) against the Lord your God.

¹⁹When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?^[b] ²⁰However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees^(AS) and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 20:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
Deuteronomy 20:19 Or down to use in the siege, for the fruit trees are for the benefit of people.

Psalm 106

New International Version

Psalm 106^(A)

¹Praise the Lord.^[a]^(B)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;^(C)
his love endures forever.^(D)

²Who can proclaim the mighty acts^(E) of the Lord
or fully declare his praise?
³Blessed are those who act justly,^(F)
who always do what is right.^(G)

⁴Remember me,^(H) Lord, when you show favor^(I) to your people,
    come to my aid^(J) when you save them,
⁵that I may enjoy the prosperity^(K) of your chosen ones,^(L)
    that I may share in the joy^(M) of your nation
    and join your inheritance^(N) in giving praise.

⁶We have sinned,^(O) even as our ancestors^(P) did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.^(Q)
⁷When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought^(R) to your miracles;
they did not remember^(S) your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea,^(T) the Red Sea.^[b]
⁸Yet he saved them^(U) for his name’s sake,^(V)
    to make his mighty power^(W) known.
⁹He rebuked^(X) the Red Sea, and it dried up;^(Y)
    he led them through^(Z) the depths as through a desert.
¹⁰He saved them^(AA) from the hand of the foe;^(AB)
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.^(AC)
¹¹The waters covered^(AD) their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
¹²Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.^(AE)

¹³But they soon forgot^(AF) what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.^(AG)
¹⁴In the desert^(AH) they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness^(AI) they put God to the test.^(AJ)
¹⁵So he gave them^(AK) what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease^(AL) among them.

¹⁶In the camp they grew envious^(AM) of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
¹⁷The earth opened^(AN) up and swallowed Dathan;^(AO)
    it buried the company of Abiram.^(AP)
¹⁸Fire blazed^(AQ) among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf^(AR)
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰They exchanged their glorious God^(AS)
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹They forgot the God^(AT) who saved them,
    who had done great things^(AU) in Egypt,
²²miracles in the land of Ham^(AV)
    and awesome deeds^(AW) by the Red Sea.
²³So he said he would destroy^(AX) them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach^(AY) before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴Then they despised^(AZ) the pleasant land;^(BA)
    they did not believe^(BB) his promise.
²⁵They grumbled^(BC) in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
²⁶So he swore^(BD) to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,^(BE)
²⁷make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter^(BF) them throughout the lands.

²⁸They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor^(BG)
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
²⁹they aroused the Lord’s anger^(BH) by their wicked deeds,^(BI)
    and a plague^(BJ) broke out among them.
³⁰But Phinehas^(BK) stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.^(BL)
³¹This was credited to him^(BM) as righteousness
    for endless generations^(BN) to come.
³²By the waters of Meribah^(BO) they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
³³for they rebelled^(BP) against the Spirit^(BQ) of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[c]^(BR)

³⁴They did not destroy^(BS) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded^(BT) them,
³⁵but they mingled^(BU) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
³⁶They worshiped their idols,^(BV)
    which became a snare^(BW) to them.
³⁷They sacrificed their sons^(BX)
    and their daughters to false gods.^(BY)
³⁸They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons^(BZ) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
³⁹They defiled themselves^(CA) by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted^(CB) themselves.

⁴⁰Therefore the Lord was angry^(CC) with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.^(CD)
⁴¹He gave them into the hands^(CE) of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
⁴²Their enemies oppressed^(CF) them
    and subjected them to their power.
⁴³Many times he delivered them,^(CG)
    but they were bent on rebellion^(CH)
    and they wasted away in their sin.
⁴⁴Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;^(CI)
⁴⁵for their sake he remembered his covenant^(CJ)
    and out of his great love^(CK) he relented.^(CL)
⁴⁶He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.^(CM)