What Does the Bible Say About Homicide?

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.”

“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?”

“And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;”

“And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. My: or, Mine iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven”

“And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. I have: or, I would slay a man in my wound, etc to my hurt: or, in my hurt”

“If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.”

“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.”

“Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”

“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;”

“And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.”

“Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

“And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.”

“And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”

“And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”

“Thou shalt not kill.”

“He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.”

“And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.”

“But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.”

“If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.”

“But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past , and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”

“If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.”

“Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.”

“If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.”

“And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. killeth: Heb. smiteth the life of a man”

“Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. at: Heb. by error”

“And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.”

“And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.”

“Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.”

“These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.”

“And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.”

“And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. with: Heb. with a stone of the hand”

“Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.”

“The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.”

“But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;”

“Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.”

“But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,”

“Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:”

“Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:”

“And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.”

“But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;”

“And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: he: Heb. no blood shall be to him”

“Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.”

“Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.”

“Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. guilty: Heb. faulty to die”

“And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.”

“Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising ;”

“That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares , and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:”

“Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.”

“Thou shalt not kill.”

“At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”

“Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.”

“Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.”

“And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly , whom he hated not in time past; in: Heb. from yesterday the third day”

“As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: head: Heb. iron helve: Heb. wood lighteth: Heb. findeth”

“Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer , while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. slay: Heb. smite him in life in: Heb. from yesterday the third day”

“Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.”

“And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;”

“If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:”

“That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.”

“But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: mortally: Heb. in life”

“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:”

“When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.”

“Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.”

“Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person . And all the people shall say, Amen.”

“The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,”

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:”

“That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.”

“And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.”

“And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly , and hated him not beforetime .”

“And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.”

“And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. appointed: Heb. sanctified”

“And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.”

“These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.”

“But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.”

“Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. and took: Heb. and put”

“And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.”

“And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)”

“Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:”

“But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.”

“So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.”

“Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?”

“Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. bloody: Heb. man of bloods and deceit”

“When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble . humble: or, afflicted”

“The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. The wicked: Heb. In the pride of the wicked he doth persecute”

“Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: Gather: or, Take not away bloody: Heb. men of blood”

“In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. full: Heb. filled with”

“The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.”

“They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.”

“To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. bloodguiltiness: Heb. bloods”

“But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee. bloody: Heb. men of bloods and deceit shall: Heb. shall not half their days”

“LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?”

“If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:”

“Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:”

“My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:”

“For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.”

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: unto: Heb. of his soul”

“A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A proud: Heb. Haughty eyes”

“The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.”

“A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.”