^19:16If a false³³ witness testifies against another person and accuses him of a crime,³⁴^19:17then both parties to the controversy must stand before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges³⁵ who will be in office in those days. ^19:18The judges will thoroughly investigate the matter, and if the witness should prove to be false and to have given false testimony against the accused,³⁶

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Footnotes

33 Heb “violent” (חָמָס, khamas). This is a witness whose motivation from the beginning is to do harm to the accused and who, therefore, resorts to calumny and deceit. See I. Swart and C. VanDam, 2:.
34 Or “rebellion.” Rebellion against God’s law is in view (cf. “of a defection from the law”).
35 The appositional construction (“before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges”) indicates that these human agents represented the Lord himself, that is, they stood in his place (cf. Deut 16:18–20; 17:8–9).
36 Heb “his brother” (also in the following verse).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, 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. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite,

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“If a malicious witness testifies against someone accusing him of a crime, the two people in the dispute are to stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and judges in authority at that time. The judges are to make a careful investigation, and if the witness turns out to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,

NLTNew Living Translation

“If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime, then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite,

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

If a malicious witness gets up to accuse anyone to testify against him falsely, then the two men to whom the legal dispute pertains shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. Then judges shall make a thorough inquiry, and if it turns out that the witness is a false witness and he testified falsely against his brother,

KJV 1900King James Version

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;

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