Numbers 35

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

And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, in the plains 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.

'Command the sons of Israel, and they have given to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to inhabit; also a suburb for the cities round about them ye do give to the Levites.

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 have been to them to inhabit, and their suburbs are for their cattle, and for their goods, and for 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 ye give to the Levites [are], from the wall of the city and without, a 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 ye have measured from the outside of the city, the east quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the south quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the west quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the north quarter, two thousand by the cubit; and the city [is] in the midst; this is to them the suburbs of the cities.

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 the cities which ye give to the Levites [are] the six cities of refuge, which ye give for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, and besides them ye give forty and two cities;

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

all the cities which ye give to the Levites [are] forty and 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 the cities which ye give [are] of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye multiply, and from the few ye diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, doth give of his cities to the Levites.'

9 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

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

'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye are passing over the Jordan to the land of Canaan,

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

and have prepared to yourselves cities — cities of refuge they are to you — then fled thither hath a man-slayer, smiting a person unawares,

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 have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer, and the man-slayer doth not die till his standing before the company for judgment.

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

'As to the cities which ye give — six [are] cities of refuge to you;

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

the three of the cities ye give beyond the Jordan, and the three of the cities ye give in the land of Canaan; cities of refuge they are.

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.

To sons of Israel, and to a sojourner, and to a settler in their midst, are these six cities for a refuge, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting a person unawares.

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 with an instrument of iron he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly 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 with a stone [in] the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly 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.

'Or with a wooden instrument [in] the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly 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 redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death.

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

'And if in hatred he thrust him through, or hath cast [anything] at him by lying in wait, and he dieth;

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 in enmity he hath smitten him with his hand, and he dieth; the smiter is certainly put to death; he [is] a murderer; the redeemer of blood doth put the murderer to death in his coming against him.

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

'And if, in an instant, without enmity, he hath thrust him through, or hath cast at him any instrument, without lying in wait;

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 with any stone wherewith he dieth, without seeing, and causeth [it] to fall upon him, and he dieth, and he [is] not his enemy, nor seeking his evil;

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

then have the company judged between the smiter and the redeemer of blood, by 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 company have delivered the man-slayer out of the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the company have caused him to turn back unto the city of his refuge, whither he hath fled, and he hath dwelt in it till the death of the chief priest, who hath been anointed with the holy oil.

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

'And if the man-slayer at all go out [from] the border of the city of his refuge whither he fleeth,

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 redeemer of blood hath found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood hath slain the man-slayer, blood is not for him;

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 in the city of his refuge he doth dwell till the death of the chief priest; and after the death of the chief priest doth the man-slayer turn back unto the city of his possession.

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

'And these things have been to you for a statute of judgment to 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.

whoso smiteth a person, by the mouth of witnesses doth [one] slay the murderer; and one witness doth not testify against a person — to 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 ye take no atonement for the life of a murderer who [is] condemned — to die, for he is certainly 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.

and ye take no atonement for him to flee unto the city of his refuge, to turn back to dwell in the land, until the death of the 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.

'And ye profane not the land which ye [are] in, for blood profaneth the land; as to the land, it is not pardoned for blood which is shed in it except by the blood of him who sheddeth it;

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

and ye defile not the land in which ye are dwelling, in the midst of which I do tabernacle, for I Jehovah do tabernacle in the midst of the sons of Israel.'