Deuteronomy · Young's Literal Translation
Deuteronomy 19 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 'When Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses,
1 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,
2 three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.
2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess.
3 Thou dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.
3 You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there.
4 'And this [is] the matter of the man-slayer who fleeth thither, and hath lived: He who smiteth his neighbour unknowingly, and is not hating him heretofore,
4 This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past—
5 even he who cometh in with his neighbour into a forest to hew wood, and his hand hath driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron hath slipped from the wood, and hath met his neighbour, and he hath died — he doth flee unto one of these cities, and hath lived,
5 as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood and his hand swings the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live.
6 lest the redeemer of blood pursue after the man-slayer when his heart is hot, and hath overtaken him (because the way is great), and hath smitten him — the life, and he hath no sentence of death, for he is not hating him heretofore;
6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.
7 therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.
7 Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.
8 'And if Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to thy fathers —
8 If Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
9 when thou keepest all this command to do it, which I am commanding thee to-day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in His ways all the days — then thou hast added to thee yet three cities to these three;
9 and if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you today, to love Yahweh your God, and to walk ever in his ways, then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, in addition to these three.
10 and innocent blood is not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee — an inheritance, and there hath been upon thee blood.
10 This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.
11 'And when a man is hating his neighbour, and hath lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and smitten him — the life, and he hath died, and he hath fled unto one of these cities,
11 But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;
12 then the elders of his city have sent and taken him from thence, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he hath died;
12 then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 thine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.
13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
14 'Thou dost not remove a border of thy neighbour, which they of former times have made, in thine inheritance, which thou dost inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.
14 You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess.
15 'One witness doth not rise against a man for any iniquity, and for any sin, in any sin which he sinneth; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, is a thing established.
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
16 'When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostasy,
16 If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
17 then have both the men who have the strife stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,
17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;
18 and the judges have searched diligently, and lo, the witness [is] a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified against his brother:
18 and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,
19 'Then ye have done to him as he devised to do to his brother, and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst,
19 then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
20 and those who are left do hear and fear, and add not to do any more according to this evil thing in thy midst;
20 Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you.
21 and thine eye doth not pity — life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
21 Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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)