1 When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses;

2 You are to have three towns marked out in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.

3 You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight.

4 This is to be the rule for anyone who goes in flight there, after causing the death of his neighbour in error and not through hate;

5 For example, if a man goes into the woods with his neighbour for the purpose of cutting down trees, and when he takes his axe to give a blow to the tree, the head of the axe comes off, and falling on to his neighbour gives him a wound causing his death; then the man may go in flight to one of these towns and be safe:

6 For if not, he who has the right of punishment may go running after the taker of life in the heat of his wrath, and overtake him because the way is long, and give him a death-blow; though it is not right for him to be put to death because he was not moved by hate.

7 And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose.

8 And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;

9 If you keep and do all these orders which I give you today, loving the Lord your God and walking ever in his ways; then let three more towns, in addition to these three, be marked out for you:

10 So that in all your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, no man may be wrongly put to death, for which you will be responsible.

11 But if any man has hate for his neighbour, and waiting for him secretly makes an attack on him and gives him a blow causing his death, and then goes in flight to one of these towns;

12 The responsible men of his town are to send and take him, and give him up to the one who has the right of punishment to be put to death.

13 Have no pity on him, so that Israel may be clear from the crime of putting a man to death without cause, and it will be well for you.

14 Your neighbour's landmark, which was put in its place by the men of old times, is not to be moved or taken away in the land of your heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.

15 One witness may not make a statement against a man in relation to any sin or wrongdoing which he has done: on the word of two or three witnesses a question is to be judged.

16 If a false witness makes a statement against a man, saying that he has done wrong,

17 Then the two men, between whom the argument has taken place, are to come before the Lord, before the priests and judges who are then in power;

18 And the judges will have the question looked into with care: and if the witness is seen to be false and to have made a false statement against his brother,

19 Then do to him what it was his purpose to do to his brother: and so put away the evil from among you.

20 And the rest of the people, hearing of it, will be full of fear, and never again do such evil among you.

21 Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

1 E whakangaromia e Ihowa, e tou Atua, nga iwi no ratou nei te whenua ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe, a ka riro to ratou wahi i a koe, a ka noho koe ki o ratou pa, ki o ratou whare:

2 Me wehe e koe kia toru nga pa mou i waenganui o tou whenua, ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe, hei kainga pumau.

3 Whakapaia e koe he huarahi, ka tapahi i nga rohe o tou whenua, ka whakawhiwhia nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe, kia toru nga wahanga, hei rerenga atu mo nga tangata whakamate katoa.

4 A ko te ahua tenei mo te tangata whakamate, e rere ai ki reira, e ora ai hoki: ara ki te patua e ia tona hoa he mea urupa, kahore hoki ona kino ki a ia i mua atu;

5 Penei me te tangata ka haere tahi raua ko tona koa ki te ngahere ki te tapahi rakau, a ka aki atu tona ringa i te toki ki te tua i te rakau, na ka maunu te pane i te kakau, pono tonu ki tona hoa, a mate iho; na ka rere atu ia ki tetahi o aua pa, a ka ora:

6 Kei whai te kaitakitaki toto i te tangata whakamate, i te mea e pawerawera ana tona ngakau, a ka hopu i a ia, he roa hoki no te huarahi, a ka patu i a ia; kihai ia i tika te mate mona, no te mea kahore ia i kino ki a ia i mua atu.

7 Koia taku e whakahau atu nei ki a koe, e mea nei, Me wehe e koe kia toru nga pa mou.

8 A ki te whakanui a Ihowa, tou Atua, i tou rohe, ki te rite ki tana i oati ai ki ou matua, a ka homai e ia te whenua katoa i mea ai ia kia homai ki ou matua;

9 Ki te puritia e koe, ki te mahia enei whakahau katoa, e whakahau atu nei ahau ki a koe i tenei ra, ara kia aroha ki a Ihowa, ki tou Atua, kia haere hoki i ona huarahi i nga ra katoa; ko reira koe tango ai kia toru atu nga pa mou, hei tapiri mo en a pa e toru:

10 Kei whakahekea te toto harakore ki waenganui o tou whenua, ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe hei kainga, kei whakairia hoki te toto ki runga ki a koe.

11 Engari ia ki te kino tetahi ki tona hoa, a ka whanga ki a ia, ka whakatika hoki ki a ia, ka patu rawa i a ia, no ka mate ia; a ka rere ia ki tetahi o aua pa:

12 Na me tono e nga kaumatua o tona pa, ka tiki atu hoki i a ia i reira, ka hoatu i a ia ki te ringa o te kaitakitaki toto, kia mate ai ia.

13 Kei tohu tou kanohi i a ia, engari me whakakahore e koe te toto harakore i roto i a Iharaira, kia whiwhi ai koe ki te pai.

14 Kei nekehia ketia e koe te rohe o tou hoa, i rohea ai e nga tangata onamata, ki tou kainga e nohoia e koe i te whenua ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe hei kainga.

15 Kei whakatika ki te tangata te kaiwhakaatu kotahi mo te kino, mo tetahi hara ranei, ahakoa he aha, e hara ai ia: ma te kupu a nga kaiwhakaatu tokorua, ma te kupu ranei a nga kaiwhakaatu tokotoru, e whakatikaia ai te korero.

16 Ki te whakatika tetahi kaiwhakaatu teka ki tetahi tangata, hei korero teka i mahi ia i te he;

17 Na me tu nga tangata tokorua, na raua nei te totohe, ki te aroaro o Ihowa, ki te aroaro hoki o nga tohunga ratou ko nga kaiwhakawa e whakariterite ana i aua ra;

18 Na me whakataki marie e nga kaiwhakawa; a ka kitea he kaiwhakaatu teka te kaiwhakaatu, he teka tana korero mo tona teina;

19 Na peratia ia e koutou me tana i whakaaro ai kia meatia ki tona teina: penei ka whakakorea te kino i roto i a koe.

20 A ka rongo te nuinga, a ka wehi, e kore hoki e mea i te kino pera i roto i a koe a muri.

21 Kaua ano tou kanohi e tohu; ko to te ora utu he ora, to te kanohi he kanohi, to te niho he niho, to te ringa he ringa, to te waewae he waewae.