¹避难城（民35:9-28；书20:1-9）

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,

²你就要在耶和华你的　神赐给你得为业的地上，为自己分别三座城。

²three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.

³你要为自己预备道路，又要把耶和华你的　神给你作产业的地分为三区，使误杀人的可以逃到那里去。

³Thou 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.

⁴“误杀人的逃到那里，就可以存活，规例是这样：无意杀了人，彼此又素无仇恨的，

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,

⁵譬如他和邻舍同进森林砍伐树木，他手里挥着斧子砍伐树木的时候，斧头竟脱了把，落在邻舍身上，以致那人死了，他就可以逃到这些城中的一座去，这样他就可以活命，

⁵even 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,

⁶免得报血仇的，心中怒火如焚的时候，追赶那误杀人的，因为路途长远，就追上了他，把他杀死；其实他没有该死的罪，因为他和那人素无仇恨。

⁶lest 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;

⁷因此我吩咐你：‘你要为自己分别三座城。’

⁷therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.

⁸如果耶和华你的　神照着他向你列祖起过的誓，扩张你的境界，把他应许赐给你列祖的全地，都赐给了你，

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 —

⁹如果你谨守遵行我今日吩咐你的这一切诫命，爱耶和华你的　神，常常行他的道路，你就要在这三座城以外，再加添三座城；

⁹when 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;

¹⁰免得无辜人的血，流在耶和华你的　神要赐给你作产业的地上，以致流人血的罪归在你身上。

¹⁰and 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.

¹¹“但是，如果有人恨他的邻舍，埋伏着等他，起来攻击他，把他杀死了，然后逃到这些城中的一座；

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,

¹²他本城的长老要派人去，把他从那里带出来，交在报血仇的人手中，好把他处死。

¹²then 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;

¹³你的眼睛不可顾惜他，却要把流无辜人的血的罪从以色列中除掉，好使你平安无事。

¹³thine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.

¹⁴不可挪移地界“在耶和华你的　神要赐给你承受为业的地上，不可挪移你邻舍的地界，因为那是先人立定的。

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.

¹⁵证人的条例“人无论有什么过错，或是犯了什么罪恶，不可凭着一个见证人的指证，总要凭着两个见证人的口供，或是三个见证人的口供，才可以确定。

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.

¹⁶如果有强横的见证人起来，指证某人作恶，

¹⁶`When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostacy,

¹⁷那么，两个彼此争讼的人，就要站在耶和华面前，和当时在职的祭司与审判官面前。

¹⁷then have both the men who have the strife stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,

¹⁸审判官要仔细查问；如果见证人是个假证人，作假见证陷害自己的兄弟，

¹⁸and the judges have searched diligently, and lo, the witness [is] a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified against his brother:

¹⁹你们就要像他想怎样对待自己的兄弟一样对待他，这样，你就把那恶从你们中间除掉。

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,

²⁰其余的人听见了，就必害怕，不敢再在你中间行这样的恶事了。

²⁰and those who are left do hear and fear, and add not to do any more according to this evil thing in thy midst;

²¹你的眼睛不可顾惜，要以命偿命，以眼还眼，以牙还牙，以手还手，以脚还脚。”

²¹and thine eye doth not pity — life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.