Cum disperdiderit Dominus Deus tuus gentes, quarum tibi traditurus est terram, et possederis eam, habitaverisque in urbibus ejus et in ædibus:

When the Lord thy God hath de stroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to thee, and thou shalt possess it, and shalt dwell in the cities and houses thereof:

When the Lord thy God has dispossessed those other nations, and thou hast overspread their country, and all its cities and houses are thine,

tres civitates separabis tibi in medio terræ, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi in possessionem,

Thou shalt separate to thee three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give thee in possession,

set apart three cities in the midst of the territory he has granted thee;

sternens diligenter viam: et in tres æqualiter partes totam terræ tuæ provinciam divides: ut habeat e vicino qui propter homicidium profugus est, quo possit evadere.

Paving diligently the way: and thou shalt divide the whole province of thy land equally into three parts: that he who is forced to flee for manslaughter, may have near at hand whither to escape.

cities that may be reached by well paved roads, and so placed as to divide up the whole of thy land into three districts. One of these must be near at hand, when blood has been shed and the slayer would take sanctuary.

Hæc erit lex homicidæ fugientis, cujus vita servanda est: qui percusserit proximum suum nesciens, et qui heri et nudiustertius nullum contra eum odium habuisse comprobatur:

This shall be the law of the slayer that fleeth, whose life is to be saved: He that killeth his neighbor ignorantly, and who is proved to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before:

Such a man must be granted his life, on these conditions; the blow must have been struck unwittingly, and there must be no proof of a feud between the two men in time past.

sed abiisse cum eo simpliciter in silvam ad ligna cædenda, et in succisione lignorum securis fugerit manu, ferrumque lapsum de manubrio amicum ejus percusserit, et occiderit: hic ad unam supradictarum urbium confugiet, et vivet:

But to have gone with him to the wood to hew wood, and in cutting down the tree the axe slipped out of his hand, and the iron slipping from the handle struck his friend, and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities aforesaid, and live:

A man, for instance, may have gone out with a friend of his, in all innocence, to cut wood; and as he is cutting the axe may fly out of his hand, or the iron come loose from the handle, striking the other and killing him. The author of such mischance will fly for his life to one of the cities aforesaid.

ne forsitan proximus ejus, cujus effusus est sanguis, dolore stimulatus, persequatur, et apprehendat eum si longior via fuerit, et percutiat animam ejus, qui non est reus mortis: quia nullum contra eum, qui occisus est, odium prius habuisse monstratur.

Lest perhaps the next kinsman of him whose blood was shed, pushed on by his grief should pursue, and apprehend him, if the way be too long, and take away the life of him who is not guilty of death, because he is proved to have had no hatred before against him that was slain.

It may be the dead man’s next of kin will set out in pursuit, to take revenge; and if the distance is great, he may overtake and kill this innocent man, who cannot be shewn to have borne ill-will to the dead kinsman.

Idcirco præcipio tibi, ut tres civitates æqualis inter se spatii dividas.

Therefore I command thee, that thou separate three cities at equal distance one from another.

That is why I bid thee set apart three cities each at an equal distance from the next.

Cum autem dilataverit Dominus Deus tuus terminos tuos, sicut juravit patribus tuis, et dederit tibi cunctam terram, quam eis pollicitus est

And when the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he swore to the fathers, and shall give thee all the land that he promised them,

In years to come, the Lord will enlarge thy domain, as he swore to thy fathers he would, and give thee the whole of this land where he has promised thee a home;

(si tamen custodieris mandata ejus, et feceris, quæ hodie præcipio tibi, ut diligas Dominum Deum tuum, et ambules in viis ejus omni tempore), addes tibi tres alias civitates, et supradictarum trium urbium numerum duplicabis:

(Yet so, if thou keep his commandments, and do the things which I command thee this day, that thou love the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways at all times) thou shalt add to thee other three cities, and shalt double the number of the three cities aforesaid:

provided always that thou dost keep his commandments, and do all that I bid thee this day, loving the Lord thy God, and following continually the path he has chosen for thee. Then it will be time to double the number of the cities aforesaid, adding three others,

ut non effundatur sanguis innoxius in medio terræ, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi possidendam, ne sis sanguinis reus.

That innocent blood may not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord thy God will give thee to possess, lest thou be guilty of blood.

to prevent the blood of innocent men being shed, here in this land the Lord is giving thee for thy own, and the guilt of that blood defiling thee.

Si quis autem, odio habens proximum suum, insidiatus fuerit vitæ ejus, surgensque percusserit illum, et mortuus fuerit, fugeritque ad unam de supradictis urbibus,

But if any man hating his neighbour, lie in wait for his life, and rise and strike him, and he die, and he flee to one of the cities aforesaid,

But it may be that someone who has a grudge against his neighbour will plot against his life, starting up out of an ambush and inflicting on him a mortal hurt, and then flee to one of these cities for refuge.

mittent seniores civitatis illius, et arripient eum de loco effugii, tradentque in manu proximi, cujus sanguis effusus est, et morietur.

The ancients of his city shall send, and take him out of the place of refuge, and shall deliver him into the hand of the kinsman of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

Then let the elders of that city send and dislodge him from his place of retreat, and so hand him over to the dead man’s next of kin, to die.

Non miseraberis ejus, et auferes innoxium sanguinem de Israël, ut bene sit tibi.

Thou shalt not pity him, and thou shalt take away the guilt of innocent blood out of Israel, that it may be well with thee.

Have no mercy on him; it shall go ill with thee, if thou dost not rid Israel of that defilement which the blood of an innocent man has brought on it.

Non assumes, et transferes terminos proximi tui, quos fixerunt priores in possessione tua, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi in terra quam acceperis possidendam.

Thou shalt not take nor remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which thy predecessors have set in thy possession, which the Lord thy God will give thee in the land that thou shalt receive to possess.

If thy neighbour’s domain is bounded by some landmark, set up by men of old time, where thy home is in the land the Lord has granted thee, do not take it up and remove it elsewhere.

Non stabit testis unus contra aliquem, quidquid illud peccati, et facinoris fuerit: sed in ore duorum aut trium testium stabit omne verbum.

One witness shall not rise up against any man, whatsoever the sin or wickedness be: but in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand.

Whatever be the offence or crime a man is charged with, it shall not suffice for one witness to appear against him; every question must be settled by the voice of two witnesses or more.

Si steterit testis mendax contra hominem, accusans eum prævaricationis,

If a lying witness stand against a man, accusing him of transgression,

It may be that a false witness will appear, accusing a man of this or that misdeed.

stabunt ambo, quorum causa est, ante Dominum in conspectu sacerdotum et judicum qui fuerint in diebus illis.

Both of them, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.

When such a claim is made, the two parties will be brought forward in the Lord’s presence, before the priests and judges then in office;

Cumque diligentissime perscrutantes, invenerint falsum testem dixisse contra fratrem suum mendacium,

And when after most diligent inquisition, they shall find that the false witness hath told a lie against his brother:

and if these, after careful examination, find that the witness gave false evidence against his fellow-Israelite,

reddent ei sicut fratri suo facere cogitavit, et auferes malum de medio tui:

They shall render to him as he meant to do to his brother, and thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee:

they must inflict on him the same punishment he would have brought on this brother of his. Thou must rid thyself of the plague,

ut audientes ceteri timorem habeant, et nequaquam talia audeant facere.

That others hearing may fear, and may not dare to do such things.

so that others may be warned by hearing of it, and none dare to do the like again.

Non misereberis ejus, sed animam pro anima, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, manum pro manu, pedem pro pede exiges.

Thou shalt not pity him, but shalt require life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

No pity must be shewn him; life must answer for the life he would have sworn away, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.