19 (A)The[a] avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 35:19 A family member who is to avenge the victim

19 The avenger of blood(A) shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.(B)

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21 or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

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21 or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;(A) that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood(B) shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

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“And (A)this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor [a]unintentionally, not having hated him in time past— as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live; (B)lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’

“Now if the Lord your God (C)enlarges your territory, as He swore to (D)your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, (E)then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, 10 (F)lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:4 ignorantly, lit. without knowledge

This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For 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. Otherwise, the avenger of blood(A) 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. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

If the Lord your God enlarges your territory,(B) as he promised(C) on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him(D)—then you are to set aside three more cities. 10 Do this so that innocent blood(E) 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.(F)

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