(14) You shall not move your neighbor’s landmarks, set up by previous generations, in the property that will be allotted to you in the land that your God יהוה is giving you to possess. (15) A single witness may not validate against an [accused] party any guilt or blame for any offense that may be committed; a case can be valid only on the testimony of two witnesses or more. (16) If someone appears against another party to testify maliciously and gives incriminating yet false testimony, (17) the two parties to the dispute shall appear before יהוה, before the priests or magistrates in authority at the time, (18) and the magistrates shall make a thorough investigation. If the one who testified is a false witness, having testified falsely against a fellow Israelite, (19) you shall do to the one as the one schemed to do to the other. Thus you will sweep out evil from your midst; (20) others will hear and be afraid, and such evil things will not again be done in your midst. (21) Nor must you show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

(1) When you [an Israelite warrior] take the field against your enemies, and see horses and chariots—forces larger than yours—have no fear of them, for your God יהוה, who brought you from the land of Egypt, is with you. (2) Before you join battle, the priest shall come forward and address the troops. (3) He shall say to them, “Hear, O Israel! You are about to join battle with your enemy. Let not your courage falter. Do not be in fear, or in panic, or in dread of them. (4) For it is your God יהוה who marches with you to do battle for you against your enemy, to bring you victory.”

(5) Then the officials shall address the troops, as follows: “Is there anyone who has built a new house but has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his home, lest he die in battle and another dedicate it. (6) Is there anyone who has planted a vineyard but has never harvested it? Let him go back to his home, lest he die in battle and another harvest it. (7) Is there anyone who has paid the bride-price for a wife, but who has not yet taken her [into his household]? Let him go back to his home, lest he die in battle and another take her [into his household as his wife].” (8) The officials shall go on addressing the troops and say, “Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like his.” (9) When the officials have finished addressing the troops, army commanders shall assume command of the troops.

(10) When you approach a town to attack it, you shall offer it terms of peace. (11) If it responds peaceably and lets you in, all the people present there shall serve you at forced labor. (12) If it does not surrender to you, but would join battle with you, you shall lay siege to it; (13) and when your God יהוה delivers it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword. (14) You may, however, take as your booty the women, the children, the livestock, and everything in the town—all its spoil—and enjoy the use of the spoil of your enemy, which your God יהוה gives you.

(15) Thus you shall deal with all towns that lie very far from you, towns that do not belong to nations hereabout. (16) In the towns of the latter peoples, however, which your God יהוה is giving you as a heritage, you shall not let a soul remain alive. (17) No, you must proscribe them—the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—as your God יהוה has commanded you, (18) lest they lead you into doing all the abhorrent things that they have done for their gods and you stand guilty before your God יהוה. (19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city? (20) Only trees that you know do not yield food may be destroyed; you may cut them down for constructing siegeworks against the city that is waging war on you, until it has been reduced.

(1) If, in the land that your God יהוה is assigning you to possess, someone slain is found lying in the open, the identity of the slayer not being known, (2) your elders and magistrates shall go out and measure the distances from the corpse to the nearby towns. (3) The elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall then take a heifer which has never been worked, which has never pulled in a yoke; (4) and the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down to an everflowing wadi, which is not tilled or sown. There, in the wadi, they shall break the heifer’s neck. (5) The priests, sons of Levi, shall come forward; for your God יהוה has chosen them for divine service and to pronounce blessing in the name of יהוה, and every lawsuit and case of assault is subject to their ruling. (6) Then all the elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi.

(7) And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. (8) Absolve, יהוה, Your people Israel whom You redeemed, and do not let guilt for the blood of the innocent remain among Your people Israel.” And they will be absolved of bloodguilt. (9) Thus you will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of יהוה.

(7) And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. (8) Absolve, יהוה, Your people Israel whom You redeemed, and do not let guilt for the blood of the innocent remain among Your people Israel.” And they will be absolved of bloodguilt. (9) Thus you will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of יהוה.

(12)I, I am the One who comforts you!What ails you that you fearMan who must die,Mortals who fare like grass?(13)You have forgotten GOD your Maker, Who stretched out the skies and made firm the earth!And you live all day in constant dreadBecause of the rage of an oppressorWho is aiming to cut [you] down.Yet of what account is the rage of an oppressor?(14)Quickly the crouching one is freed; He is not cut down and slain,And he shall not want for food.(15)For I the ETERNAL your God— Who stirs up the sea into roaring waves,Whose name is GOD of Hosts— (16)Have put My words in your mouthAnd sheltered you with My hand;I, who planted the skies and made firm the earth, Have said to Zion: You are My people!(17)Rouse, rouse yourself!Arise, O Jerusalem,You who from GOD’s hand Have drunk God’s wrath-filled cup,You who have drained to the dregsThe bowl, the cup of reeling!(18)She has none to guide herOf all the children she bore;None takes her by the hand,Of all the children she reared.(19)These two things have befallen you:Wrack and ruin—who can console you?Famine and sword—how shall I comfort you? (20)Your sons lie in a swoonAt the corner of every street—Like an antelope caught in a net—Drunk with the wrath of GOD, With the rebuke of your God.(21)Therefore,Listen to this, unhappy one,Who are drunk, but not with wine!(22)Thus said GOD, your Sovereign, Your God who champions this people:Herewith I take from your handThe cup of reeling,The bowl, the cup of My wrath;You shall never drink it again.(23)I will put it in the hands of your tormentors,Who have commanded you,“Get down, that we may walk over you”—So that you made your back like the ground,Like a street for passersby.(1)Awake, awake, O Zion!Clothe yourself in splendor;Put on your robes of majesty,Jerusalem, holy city!For the uncircumcised and the impureShall never enter you again.(2)Arise, shake off the dust,Sit [on your throne], Jerusalem!Loose the bonds from your neck,O captive one, Fair Zion!(3)For thus said GOD: You were sold for no price,And shall be redeemed without money.(4)For thus said my Sovereign GOD: Of old, My people went downTo Egypt to sojourn there;But Assyria has robbed them,Giving nothing in return.(5)What therefore do I gain here?—declares GOD— For My people has been carried off for nothing,Their mockers howl—declares GOD— And constantly, unceasingly,My name is reviled.(6)Assuredly, My people shall learn My name,Assuredly [they shall learn] on that dayThat I, the One who promised,Am now at hand.(7)How welcome on the mountainAre the footsteps of the heraldAnnouncing happiness,Heralding good fortune,Announcing victory,Telling Zion, “Your God reigns!”(8)Hark!Your lookouts raise their voices,As one they shout for joy;For every eye shall behold GOD’s return to Zion. (9)Raise a shout together,O ruins of Jerusalem!For GOD will comfort this people, Will redeem Jerusalem.(10) GOD will bare a holy arm In the sight of all the nations,And the very ends of earth shall seeThe victory of our God.(11)Turn, turn away, touch naught impureAs you depart from there;Keep pure, as you go forth from there,You who bear the vessels of GOD! (12)For you will not depart in haste,Nor will you leave in flight;For GOD is marching before you, The God of Israel is your rear guard.

(24)Thus said GOD, your Redeemer, Who formed you in the womb:It is I, GOD, who made everything, Who alone stretched out the heavensAnd unaided spread out the earth; (25)Who annul the omens of diviners,And make fools of the augurs;Who turn sages backAnd make nonsense of their knowledge;(26)But confirm the word of My servant And fulfill the prediction of My messengers. It is I who say of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”And of the towns of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt;And I will restore their ruined places.”(27)[I,] who said to the deep, “Be dry;I will dry up your floods,”(28)Am the same who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd;He shall fulfill all My purposes!He shall say of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be rebuilt,’And to the temple: ‘You shall be founded again.’”(1)Thus said GOD to Cyrus, the anointed one— Having grasped his right hand, Treading down nations before him,Ungirding the loins of kings,Opening doors before himAnd letting no gate stay shut:(2)I will march before youAnd level the hills that loom up;I will shatter doors of bronzeAnd cut down iron bars.(3)I will give you treasures concealed in the darkAnd secret hoards—So that you may know that it is I the ETERNAL One, The God of Israel, who call you by name.(4)For the sake of My servant Jacob,Israel My chosen one,I call you by name,I hail you by title, though you have not known Me.(5)I am GOD and there is none else; Beside Me, there is no god.I engird you, though you have not known Me,(6)So that they may know, from east to west,That there is none but Me.I am GOD and there is none else, (7)I form light and create darkness,I make weal and create woe—I GOD do all these things.