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

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.

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 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,

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;

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

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 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;

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.

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 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;

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

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

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

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

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

¹ In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.

³ I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.

⁴ In the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel,

⁵ I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, whose thighs were adorned with pure gold of Uphaz:

⁶ his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

⁷ I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men who were with me didn't see the vision; but a great quaking fell on them, and they fled to hide themselves.

⁸ So I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

⁹ Yet heard I the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I fallen into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground.

¹⁰ Behold, a hand touched me, which set me on my knees and on the palms of my hands.

¹¹ He said to me, Daniel, you man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright; for am I now sent to you. When he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling.

¹² Then he said to me, Don't be afraid, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard: and I have come for your words' sake.

¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days; for the vision is yet for [many] days:

¹⁵ and when he had spoken to me according to these words, I set my face toward the ground, and was mute.

¹⁶ Behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke and said to him who stood before me, my lord, by reason of the vision my sorrows are turned on me, and I retain no strength.

¹⁷ For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, immediately there remained no strength in me, neither was there breath left in me.

¹⁸ Then there touched me again one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me.

¹⁹ He said, "Greatly beloved man, don't be afraid: peace be to you, be strong, yes, be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak; for you have strengthened me."

²⁰ Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come.

²¹ But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince."