Deuteronomy 4:42

4:42 Anyone who accidentally killed someone ¹  without hating him at the time of the accident ²  could flee to one of those cities and be safe.

Deuteronomy 13:9

13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! ³  Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ⁴  and then the hands of the whole community.

Deuteronomy 17:11

17:11 You must do what you are instructed, and the verdict they pronounce to you, without fail. Do not deviate right or left from what they tell you.

Deuteronomy 22:1

Laws Concerning Preservation of Life

22:1 When you see ⁵  your neighbor’s ⁶  ox or sheep going astray, do not ignore it; ⁷  you must return it without fail ⁸  to your neighbor.

---

¹ tn Heb “the slayer who slew his neighbor without knowledge.”

² tn Heb “yesterday and a third (day).” The point is that there was no animosity between the two parties at the time of the accident and therefore no motive for the killing.

³ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).

⁴ tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.

⁵ tn Heb “you must not see,” but, if translated literally into English, the statement is misleading.

⁶ tn Heb “brother’s” (also later in this verse). In this context it is not limited to one’s siblings, however; cf. NAB “your kinsman’s.”

⁷ tn Heb “hide yourself.”

⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail.”