Numbers 35

1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

And the Lord spoke to Moses to the west of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

2 “Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

Give orders to the children of Israel, and they shall give to the Levites cities to dwell in from the lot of their possession, and they shall give to the Levites the suburbs of the cities round about them.

3 The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

And the cities shall be for them to dwell in, and their enclosures shall be for their cattle and all their beasts.

4 The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the wall on every side.

And the suburbs of the cities which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outwards two thousand cubits round about.

5 You are also to measure two thousand cubits outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.

And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and your city shall be in the midst of this, and the suburbs of the cities [as described].

6 Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

And you shall give the cities to the Levites, the six cities of refuge which you shall give for the slayer to flee there, and in addition to these, forty-two cities.

7 The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.

You shall give to the Levites in all forty-eight cities, them and their suburbs.

8 The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

And as for the cities which you shall give out of the possession of the children of Israel, from those [that have] much [you shall give] much, and from those that have less you shall give less: they shall give of their cities to the Levites each one according to his inheritance which they shall inherit.

9 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, You are to cross over Jordan into the land of Chanaan.

11 designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

And you shall appoint to yourselves cities: they shall be to you cities of refuge for the slayer to flee to, every one who has killed another unintentionally.

12 You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

And the cities shall be to you places of refuge from the avenger of blood, and the slayer shall not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13 The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.

And the cities which you shall assign, [even] the six cities, shall be places of refuge for you.

14 Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

You shall assign three cities on the other side of Jordan, and you shall assign three cities in the land of Chanaan.

15 These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

It shall be a place of refuge for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for him that sojourns among you; these cities shall be for a place of refuge, for every one to flee there who has killed a man unintentionally.

16 If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

And if he should strike him with an iron instrument, and the man should die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

17 Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

And if he should strike him with a stone [thrown] from his hand, whereby a man may die, and he [thus] die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

18 If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

And if he should strike him with an instrument of wood from his hand, whereby he may die, and he [thus] die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

19 The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

The avenger of blood himself shall kill the murderer: whenever he shall meet him he shall kill him.

20 Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,

And if he should thrust him through enmity, or cast any thing upon him from an ambuscade, and the man should die,

21 or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

or if he have struck him with his hand through anger, and the man should die, let the man that struck him be put to death by all means, he is a murderer: let the murderer by all means be put to death: the avenger of blood shall kill the murderer when he meets him.

22 But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

But if he should thrust him suddenly, not through enmity, or cast any thing upon him, not from an ambuscade,

23 or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

or [strike him] with any stone, whereby a man may die, unawares, and it should fall upon him, and he should die, but he was not his enemy, nor sought to hurt him;

24 then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

then the assembly shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood, according to these judgments.

25 The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

And the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he fled for refuge; and he shall dwell there till the death of the high-priest, whom they anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled

But if the slayer should in any wise go out beyond the bounds of the city whither he fled for refuge,

27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed

and the avenger of blood should find him without the bounds of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood should kill the slayer, he is not guilty.

28 because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.

For he ought to have remained in the city of refuge till the high-priest died; and after the death of the high-priest the slayer shall return to the land of his possession.

29 This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

And these things shall be to you for an ordinance of judgment throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

Whoever kills a man, you shall kill the murderer on the testimony of witnesses; and one witness shall not testify against a soul that he should die.

31 You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

And you shall not accept ransoms for life from a murderer who is worthy of death, for he shall be surely put to death.

32 Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

You shall not accept a ransom [to excuse] his fleeing to the city of refuge, so that he should again dwell in the land, until the death of the high-priest.

33 Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

So shall you not pollute with murder the land in which you dwell; for this blood pollutes the land, and the land shall not be purged from the blood shed upon it, but by the blood of him that shed it.

34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”

And you shall not defile the land whereon you dwell, on which I dwell in the midst of you; for I am the Lord dwelling in the midst of the children of Israel.