Study Desk

"If a person who has been killed by someone is found lying in the open country in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who struck him,

If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:

then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the one who was killed.

Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:

"And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked and has not pulled in a yoke;

And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and they shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley.

And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:

"Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, because the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the LORD; and every dispute and violent crime shall be settled by them.

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord ; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

"And all the elders of that city which is nearest to the person killed shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;

And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:

and they shall respond and say, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see who did.

And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

'Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, LORD, and do not place the guilt for innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.' And the guilt for bloodshed shall be forgiven them.

Be merciful, O Lord , unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

"So you shall remove the guilt for innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord .