you must also do to him just as he had schemed to do to his brother

Deut. 19:16-21.

Who would say that this law (called lex talionis, the “law of talion,” or retaliation) was unduly harsh? What hatred or vicious scheming would be in the heart of a man who would bear such false witness? A punishment equal to what he tried to bring on his fellowman would be fully justified, and it would certainly be a strong deterrent to false testimony in the courts of the land.