申命記19:1-21

19:1 「耶和華─你上帝將列國之民剪除的時候，耶和華─你上帝也將他們的地賜給你，你接著住他們的城邑並他們的房屋，
19:2 就要在耶和華─你上帝所賜你為業的地上分定三座城。
19:3 要將耶和華─你上帝使你承受為業的地分為三段；又要預備道路，使誤殺人的，都可以逃到那裡去。
19:4 「誤殺人的逃到那裡可以存活，定例乃是這樣：凡素無仇恨，無心殺了人的，
19:5 就如人與鄰舍同入樹林砍伐樹木，手拿斧子一砍，本想砍下樹木，不料，斧頭脫了把，飛落在鄰舍身上，以致於死，這人逃到那些城的一座城，就可以存活，
19:6 免得報血仇的，心中火熱追趕他，因路遠就追上，將他殺死；其實他不該死，因為他與被殺的素無仇恨。
19:7 所以我吩咐你說，要分定三座城。
19:8 耶和華─你上帝若照他向你列祖所起的誓擴張你的境界，將所應許賜你列祖的地全然給你，
19:9 你若謹守遵行我今日所吩咐的這一切誡命，愛耶和華─你的上帝，常常遵行他的道，就要在這三座城之外，再添三座城，
19:10 免得無辜之人的血流在耶和華─你上帝所賜你為業的地上，流血的罪就歸於你。
19:11 「若有人恨他的鄰舍，埋伏著起來擊殺他，以致於死，便逃到這些城的一座城，
19:12 本城的長老就要打發人去，從那裡帶出他來，交在報血仇的手中，將他治死。
19:13 你眼不可顧惜他，卻要從以色列中除掉流無辜血的罪，使你可以得福。」
19:14 「在耶和華─你上帝所賜你承受為業之地，不可挪移你鄰舍的地界，那是先人所定的。」
19:15 「人無論犯甚麼罪，作甚麼惡，不可憑一個人的口作見證，總要憑兩三個人的口作見證才可定案。
19:16 若有凶惡的見證人起來，見證某人作惡，
19:17 這兩個爭訟的人就要站在耶和華面前，和當時的祭司，並審判官面前，
19:18 審判官要細細地查究，若見證人果然是作假見證的，以假見證陷害弟兄，
19:19 你們就要待他如同他想要待的弟兄。這樣，就把那惡從你們中間除掉。
19:20 別人聽見都要害怕，就不敢在你們中間再行這樣的惡了。
19:21 你眼不可顧惜，要以命償命，以眼還眼，以牙還牙，以手還手，以腳還腳。」

When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, ² then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³ Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

⁴ This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. ⁵ For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. ⁶ Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. ⁷ This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

⁸ If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, ⁹ because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him—then you are to set aside three more cities. ¹⁰ Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

¹¹ But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor, and then flees to one of these cities, ¹² the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. ¹³ Show no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.

¹⁴ Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

¹⁵ One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁶ If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, ¹⁷ the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. ¹⁸ The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, ¹⁹ then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁰ The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. ²¹ Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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    法律的目的是要維持社會的正義，聖經本身也看重正義的維持，所以在生命的保護上是十分用心，在摩西的時代就想到設立逃城，就好像是「庇護城」一般要保護那些不是故意要殺害人的人。

    當然聖經也提到摩西為了遏止作假見證害人的，設定底下的條例：「人無論犯甚麼罪，作甚麼惡，不可憑一個人的口作見證，總要憑兩三個人的口作見證才可定案。若有凶惡的見證人起來，見證某人作惡，這兩個爭訟的人就要站在耶和華面前，和當時的祭司，並審判官面前，審判官要細細地查究，若見證人果然是作假見證的，以假見證陷害弟兄，你們就要待他如同他想要待的弟兄。這樣，就把那惡從你們中間除掉。別人聽見都要害怕，就不敢在你們中間再行這樣的惡了。你眼不可顧惜，要以命償命，以眼還眼，以牙還牙，以手還手，以腳還腳。」

    在今日講求廢除死刑的風氣，聖經這段話讓我們感受到，廢死刑並無法滿足正義的要求，更是無法保護人的生命！這也是我們要深思的課題，不可以為廢死刑是先進、滿足人道要求，其實也有其該思考的反效果！我們若希望保護生命，需要回到聖經的原則：「別人聽見都要害怕，就不敢在你們中間再行這樣的惡了。你眼不可顧惜，要以命償命，以眼還眼，以牙還牙，以手還手，以腳還腳。」