Deuteronomy 19:13

Young's Literal Translation

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

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not look on him with pity but purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and you will prosper.

Hebrew Names Version
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Yisra'el, that it may go well with you.

King James Version
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Lexham English Bible
Your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that good will be directed toward you.

English Standard Version
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

New Century Version
Show no mercy. You must remove from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people so that things will go well for you.

New English Translation
You must not pity him, but purge out the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

Amplified Bible
"You shall not pity him [the guilty one], but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

New American Standard Bible
"You shall not pity him, but you shall eliminate the guilt for the bloodshed of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well for you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thine eye shall not spare him, but thou shalt put away the crie of innocent blood from Israel, that it may goe well with thee.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.

Contemporary English Version
Israel, for the good of the whole country, you must kill anyone who murders an innocent person. Never show mercy to a murderer!

Complete Jewish Bible
You are not to pity him. Rather, you must put an end to the shedding of innocent blood in Isra'el. Then things will go well with you.

Darby Translation
Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
Don't feel sorry for him. He is guilty of killing an innocent person, and you must remove that guilt from Israel. Then everything will go well for you.

George Lamsa Translation
Your eyes shall not pity him, but you shall kill him, and thus purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

Good News Translation
No mercy will be shown to you. Israel must rid itself of murderers, so that all will go well.

Literal Translation
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it shall be well with you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
thine eye shal not pitie him, and the giltye bloude shalt thou put awaye fro Israel, that thou mayest prospere.

American Standard Version
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Bible in Basic English
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.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thine eye shall not spare hym, but thou shalt put away [the crye of] innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

King James Version (1611)
Thine eye shall not pittie him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may goe wel with thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thine eye shall not spare him; so shalt thou purge innocent blood from Israel, and it shall be well with thee.

English Revised Version
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Berean Standard Bible
You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
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.

Update Bible Version
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thy eye shall not pity him, but thou shall remove [the guilt of] innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.

World English Bible
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

New King James Version
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

New Living Translation
Do not feel sorry for that murderer! Purge from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people; then all will go well with you.

New Life Bible
Do not pity him. In Israel be free from the blood of those that are not guilty. Then it will go well with you.

New Revised Standard
Show no pity; you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
thine eye shall not look with pity upon him, - so shall thou consume the shedding of innocent blood out of Israel and it shah go well with thee.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not pity him, and thou shalt take away the guilt of innocent blood out of Israel, that it may be well with thee.

Revised Standard Version
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.

Contextual Overview

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, <sup>2</sup> three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it. <sup>3</sup> 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. <sup>4</sup> `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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thine eye: Deuteronomy 7:16, Deuteronomy 13:8, Deuteronomy 25:12, Ezekiel 16:5

but thou: Deuteronomy 21:9, Genesis 9:6, Leviticus 24:17, Leviticus 24:21, Numbers 35:33, Numbers 35:34, 2 Samuel 21:1, 2 Samuel 21:14, 1 Kings 2:31

Reciprocal: Genesis 45:20 - regard not Deuteronomy 5:29 - that it might Deuteronomy 19:10 - General Deuteronomy 19:21 - thine eye Matthew 27:25 - His Hebrews 10:28 - without

Cross-References

Genesis 13:13
and the men of Sodom [are] evil, and sinners before Jehovah exceedingly.

Genesis 18:20
And Jehovah saith, `The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah -- because great; and their sin -- because exceeding grievous:

Genesis 19:1
And two of the messengers come towards Sodom at even, and Lot is sitting at the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeth, and riseth to meet them, and boweth himself -- face to the earth,

Genesis 19:5
and they call unto Lot and say to him, `Where [are] the men who have come in unto thee to-night? bring them out unto us, and we know them.'

Genesis 19:6
And Lot goeth out unto them, to the opening, and the door hath shut behind him,

Genesis 19:8
lo, I pray you, I have two daughters, who have not known any one; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do to them as [is] good in your eyes; only to these men do not anything, for therefore have they come in within the shadow of my roof.'

Genesis 19:9
And they say, `Come nigh hither;' they say also, `This one hath come in to sojourn, and he certainly judgeth! now, we do evil to thee more than [to] them;' and they press against the man, against Lot greatly, and come nigh to break the door.

Genesis 19:12
And the men say unto Lot, `Whom hast thou here still? son-in-law, thy sons also, and thy daughters, and all whom thou hast in the city, bring out from this place;

Genesis 19:15
And when the dawn hath ascended, then the messengers press upon Lot, saying, `Rise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters who are found present, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.'

Genesis 19:16
And he lingereth, and the men lay hold on his hand, and on the hand of his wife, and on the hand of his two daughters, through the mercy of Jehovah unto him, and they bring him out, and cause him to rest without the city.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thine eye shall not pity him,.... This is not said to the avenger of blood, who is not to be supposed to have any pity or compassion on such a person, but to the elders, judges, and civil magistrates of the city to which he belonged, who took cognizance of his case; these were to show him no favour on account of his being a citizen, a neighbour, a relation or friend, or a rich man, or on any account whatever; but without favour or affection were to judge him and put him to death as a murderer; see Numbers 35:21,

but thou shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel; by which they would be defiled, and be liable to punishment for it; see

Numbers 35:33, the Targum of Jonathan is,

"shall put away those that shed innocent blood out of Israel;''

put them away by death:

that it may go well with thee; with the whole land and its inhabitants, and with the city particularly, and the magistrates, and men of it, to which the murderer condemned to death belonged, being continued in the enjoyment of all temporal blessings and mercies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This and the next two chapters contain enactments designed to protect human life, and to impress its sanctity on Israel.

In Deuteronomy 19:1-13 the directions respecting the preparation of the roads to the cities of refuge, the provision of additional cities in case of an extension of territory, and the intervention of the elders as representing the congregation, are unique to Deuteronomy and supplementary to the laws on the same subject given in the earlier books (compare the marginal reference).

Deuteronomy 19:1, Deuteronomy 19:2

The three cities of refuge for the district east of Jordan had been already named. Moses now directs that when the territory on the west of Jordan had been conquered, a like allotment of three other cities in it should be made. This was accordingly done; compare Joshua 20:1 ff,

Deuteronomy 19:3

Thou shalt prepare thee a way - It was the duty of the Senate to repair the roads that led to the cities of refuge annually, and remove every obstruction. No hillock was left, no river over which there was not a bridge; and the road was at least 32 cubits broad. At cross-roads there were posts bearing the words Refuge, Refuge, to guide the fugitive in his flight. It seems as if in Isaiah 40:3 ff the imagery were borrowed from the preparation of the ways to the cities of refuge.

Deuteronomy 19:5

With the axe - literally, “with the iron.” Note the employment of iron for tools, and compare Deuteronomy 3:11 note.

Deuteronomy 19:8, Deuteronomy 19:9

Provision is here made for the anticipated enlargement of the borders of Israel to the utmost limits promised by God, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18, note; Exodus 23:31, note). This promise, owing to the sins of the people, did not receive its fulfillment until after David had conquered the Philistines, Syrians, etc.; and this but a transient one, for many of the conquered peoples regained independence on the dissolution of Solomon’s empire.