6 Then all the elders of the city who are nearest to the dead body should wash their hands+ over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they should declare, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. 8 Do not hold this against your people Israel, whom you redeemed,+ O Jehovah, and do not let guilt for innocent blood remain among your people Israel.’+ Then the bloodguilt will not be held against them. 9 In this way you will remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst by doing what is right in Jehovah’s eyes.