1 Ἐὰν δὲ ἀφανίσῃ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου τὰ ἔθνη, ἃ ὁ Θεὸς δίδωσί σοι τὴν γῆν, καὶ κατακληρονομήσητε αὐτοὺς, καὶ κατοικήσητε ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις αὐτῶν, 2 τρεῖς πόλεις διαστελεῖς σεαυτῷ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς σου, ἧς Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι. 3 Στόχασαί σοι τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ τριμεριεῖς τὰ ὅρια τῆς γῆς σου, ἣν καταμερίζει σοι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, καὶ ἔσται καταφυγὴ παντὶ φονευτῇ. 4 Τοῦτο δὲ ἔσται τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ φονευτοῦ, ὃς ἂν φύγῃ ἐκεῖ, καὶ ζήσεται, ὃς ἂν πατάξῃ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰδῶς, καὶ οὗτος οὐ μισῶν αὐτὸν πρὸ τῆς χθὲς καὶ τρίτης. 5 Καὶ ὅς ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον εἰς τὸν δρυμὸν συναγαγεῖν ξύλα, καὶ ἐκκρουσθῇ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ τῇ ἀξίνῃ κόπτοντος τὸ ξύλον, καὶ ἐκπεσὸν τὸ σιδήριον ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου τύχῃ τοῦ πλησίον, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ, οὗτος καταφεύξεται εἰς μίαν τῶν πόλεων τούτων, καὶ ζήσεται. 6 Ἵνα μὴ διώξας ὁ ἀγχιστεύων τοῦ αἵματος ὀπίσω τοῦ φονεύσαντος, ὅτι παρατεθέρμανται τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ καταλάβῃ αὐτὸν, ἐὰν μακροτέρα ἠ· ἡ ὁδὸς, καὶ πατάξῃ αὐτοῦ ψυχήν· καὶ τούτῳ οὐκ ἔστι κρίσις θανάτου, ὅτι οὐ μισῶν ἦν αὐτὸν πρὸ τῆς χθὲς, οὐδὲ πρὸ τῆς τρίτης. 7 Διὰ τοῦτο ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, λέγων, τρεῖς πόλεις διαστελεῖς σεαυτῷ. 8 Ἐὰν δὲ ἐμπλατύνῃ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου τὰ ὅριά σου, ὃν τρόπον ὤμοσε τοῖς πατράσι σου, καὶ δῷ σοι Κύριος πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, ἣν εἶπε δοῦναι τοῖς πατράσι σου, 9 ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς ποιεῖν πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας, ἃς ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαί σοι σήμερον, ἀγαπᾷν Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου, πορεύεσθαι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας· προσθήσεις σεαυτῷ ἔτι τρεῖς πόλεις πρὸς τὰς τρεῖς ταύτας. 10 Καὶ οὐκ ἐκχυθήσεται αἷμα ἀναίτιον ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἡ· Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι ἐν κλήρῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ αἵματι ἔνοχος. 11 Ἐὰν δὲ γένηται ἐν σοὶ ἄνθρωπος μισῶν τὸν πλησίον, καὶ ἐνεδρεύσῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπαναστῇ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν, καὶ πατάξῃ αὐτοῦ ψυχὴν, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ, καὶ φύγῃ εἰς μίαν τῶν πόλεων τούτων· 12 καὶ ἀποστελοῦσιν ἡ γερουσία τῆς πόλεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ λήμψονται αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ παραδώσουσιν αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἀγχιστευόντων τοῦ αἵματος, καὶ ἀποθανεῖται. 13 Οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, καὶ καθαριεῖς τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἀναίτιον ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ εὖ σοι ἔσται. 14 Οὐ μετακινήσεις ὅρια τοῦ πλησίον, ἃ ἔστησαν οἱ πατέρες σου ἐν τῇ κληρονομίᾳ, ᾗ κατεκληρονομήθης ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἣν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι ἐν κλήρῳ. 15 Οὐκ ἐμμενεῖ μάρτυς εἷς μαρτυρῆσαι κατὰ ἀνθρώπου κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν, καὶ κατὰ πᾶν ἁμάρτημα, καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν, ἣν ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ· ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων, καὶ ἐπὶ στόματος τριῶν μαρτύρων, στήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα. 16 Ἐὰν δὲ καταστῇ μάρτυς ἄδικος κατὰ ἀνθρώπου, καταλέγων αὐτοῦ ἀσέβειαν· 17 καὶ στήσονται οἱ δύο ἄνθρωποι οἷς ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀντιλογία, ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ ἔναντι τῶν ἱερέων, καὶ ἔναντι τῶν κριτῶν, οἳ ἂν ὦσιν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις· 18 Καὶ ἐξετάσωσιν οἱ κριταὶ ἀκριβῶς, καὶ ἰδοὺ μάρτυς ἄδικος ἐμαρτύρησεν ἄδικα, ἀντέστη κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ· 19 Καὶ ποιήσετε αὐτῷ ὃν τρόπον ἐπονηρεύσατο ποιῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξαρεῖς τὸ πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν. 20 Καὶ οἱ ἐπίλοιποι ἀκούσαντες φοβηθήσονται, καὶ οὐ προσθήσουσιν ἔτι ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ πονηρὸν τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν. 21 Οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἐπʼ αὐτῷ· ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς, ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος, χεῖρα ἀντὶ χειρὸς, πόδα ἀντὶ ποδός.
Deuteronomy · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Deuteronomy 19 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Deuteronomy 12:29; Deuteronomy 6:10; Deuteronomy 7:1–2; Deuteronomy 17:14; Deuteronomy 12:1
- 2 Exodus 21:13; Hebrews 6:18; Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Joshua 20:2–7; Numbers 35:10–15
- 3 Isaiah 57:14; Hebrews 12:13; Isaiah 62:10; Isaiah 35:8
- 4 Numbers 35:15–24; Deuteronomy 4:42; 1 Chronicles 11:2; Deuteronomy 19:6; Genesis 31:2
- 5 Proverbs 27:12; 2 Kings 6:5–7; Isaiah 32:2; Numbers 35:25
- 6 Numbers 35:12; 2 Samuel 14:7; Joshua 20:5; Deuteronomy 21:22; Jeremiah 26:15–16
- 8 Genesis 15:18–21; Exodus 34:24; Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 12:20; Ezra 4:20
- 9 Joshua 20:7–8; Deuteronomy 12:32; Deuteronomy 11:22–25
- 10 Isaiah 59:7; Proverbs 6:17; Matthew 27:4–5; Jonah 1:14; 1 Kings 2:31
- 11 Deuteronomy 27:24; Numbers 35:16–21; Numbers 35:24; Exodus 21:12–14; Proverbs 28:17
- 12 1 Kings 2:28–34; 1 Kings 2:5–6
- 13 1 Kings 2:31; Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 21:9; Deuteronomy 7:16; 2 Samuel 21:1
- 14 Proverbs 22:28; Deuteronomy 27:17; Hosea 5:10; Job 24:2; Proverbs 23:10
- 15 Numbers 35:30; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:16; Hebrews 10:28
- 16 Psalm 27:12; Psalm 35:11; Exodus 23:1–7; 1 Kings 21:10–13; Acts 6:13
- 17 Deuteronomy 17:9; Deuteronomy 21:5; Malachi 2:7
- 18 Deuteronomy 17:4; Deuteronomy 13:14; Job 19:16; 2 Chronicles 19:6–7
- 19 Proverbs 19:5; Proverbs 19:9; Deuteronomy 22:24; Daniel 6:24; Deuteronomy 17:7
- 20 Deuteronomy 21:21; Deuteronomy 17:13; Deuteronomy 13:11; 1 Timothy 5:20; Romans 13:3–4
- 21 Matthew 5:38–39; Exodus 21:23–25; Deuteronomy 19:13; Leviticus 24:17–21
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For it is a great question, my brethren, and to me it certainly appears to have been ordained in a mystery, where God said, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand." Is truth sought by two witnesses?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
What then, shall every word be established at the mouth of two of three witnesses, according to the Scripture, and, though twelve bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ, art thou still incredulous in regard to His Resurrection?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
I think so; for "at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall the matter be established." And if we could prove clearly to you that a long period of time was in our favour, should we not have seemed to you to urge with reason that this suit ought not to be brought into court against us?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)
For who speaketh in secret, that speaketh before so many persons; as it is written, "At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established:" especially if that be spoken to a few which he wisheth to become known to many through them; as the Lord Himself said to the few whom He had as yet, "What …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
… there was in that place a Title inscribed in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin, "The King of the Jews;" in three tongues as though by three witnesses the Title was confirmed: because "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall stand every word."...
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)