Deuteronomy 19

¹ Therfor Y comaunde to thee, that thou departe thre citees of euene space bitwixe hem silf. ² Forsothe whanne thi Lord God hath alargid thi termes, as he swoor to thi fadris, and hath youe to thee al the lond which he bihiyte to hem; if netheles thou kepist hise comaundementis, ³ and doist tho thingis whiche Y comaunde to thee to day, that thou loue thi Lord God, and go in hise weies in al tyme, thou schalt adde to thee thre othere citees, and thou schalt double the noumbre of the forseid citees, ⁴ that gilteles blood be not sched out in the myddis of the lond which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee to haue in possessioun, lest thou be gilti of blood. ⁵ Forsothe if ony man hatith his neiybore, and settith aspies, ether tresouns, to his lijf, and risith, and smytith him, and he is deed, and he fleeth to oon of the forseid citees, 6 the eldere men of that citee schulen sende, and thei schulen take hym fro the place of refuyt; and thei schulen bitake hym in to the hond of the nexte kynesman of hym, whos blood is sched out, ⁷ and he schal die, and thou schalt not haue mercy on hym; and thou schalt do awey gilti blood fro Israel, that it be wel to thee. ⁸ Thou schalt not take, and turne ouer the termes of thi neiybore, which the formere men settiden in thi possessioun, which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee in the lond, which lond thou schalt take to be weldid. ⁹ O witnesse schal not stonde ayens ony man, what euer thing it is of synne and of wickidnesse; but ech word schal stonde in the mouth of tweyne ethir of thre witnessis. ¹⁰ If a fals witnesse stondith ayens a man, and accusith hym of brekyng of the lawe, bothe, ¹¹ of whiche the cause is, schulen stonde bifor the Lord, in the siyt of preestis, and of iugis, that ben in tho daies. ¹² And whanne thei sekynge moost diligentli han founde that the fals witnesse seide a leesyng ayens his brothir, ¹³ thei schulen yelde to hym, as he thouyte to do to his brother; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro the myddis of thee, that othere men here, ¹⁴ and haue drede, and be no more hardi to do siche thingis. ¹⁵ Thou schalt not haue mercy on hym, but thou schalt axe lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot. ¹⁷ If thou goist out to batel ayens thin enemyes, and seest multitude of knyytis, and charis, and grettere multitude of the aduersarie oost than thou hast, thou schalt not drede hem; for thi Lord God is with thee, that ledde thee out of the lond of Egipt. ¹⁸ Sotheli whanne the batel neiyeth now, the preest schal stonde bifor the scheltrun, and thus he schal speke to the puple, ¹⁹ Thou, Israel, here to dai, ye han batel ayens youre enemyes; youre herte drede not, nyle ye drede; nyle ye yyue stede, drede ye not hem; 20 for youre Lord God is in the myddis of you, and he schal fiyte for you ayens aduersaries, that he delyuere you fro perel. 21 Also the duykis schulen crie bi alle cumpanyes, `while the oost schal here, Who is a man that bildide a newe hows, and halewide not it and halewide not it, that is, made not a solempne feeste of enhabiting therof. ? go he and turne ayen into his hows, lest perauenture he die in batel, and another man halewe it.