The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible renders the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 as “Thou shalt not kill.” This wording gives the impression that it is always wrong to take a human life, with no exceptions. It is a wrong impression, for the Bible elsewhere allows for the execution of certain criminals (Genesis 9:6) and killing in the context of warfare (1 Chronicles 19:18). So the command “Thou shalt not kill” cannot be taken in an absolute sense.