Numbers 35

1 And the Lord also spoke these things to Moses in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho:

And the Lord said to Moses in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho,

2 “Instruct the sons of Israel, so that they may give to the Levites, from their possessions,

Give orders to the children of Israel to give to the Levites, from the heritage which is theirs, towns for themselves, with land on the outskirts of the towns.

3 cities as dwelling places, with their surrounding suburbs, so that they may lodge in the towns, and so that the suburbs may be for cattle and beasts of burden.

These towns are to be their living-places, with land round them for their cattle and their food and all their beasts,

4 The suburbs shall extend from the outer walls of the cities, all around, for the space of one thousand steps.

Stretching from the wall of the towns a distance of a thousand cubits all round.

5 Facing the east, there shall be two thousand cubits, and facing the south, similarly, there shall be two thousand cubits. Toward the sea, also, which looks out toward the west, there shall be the same measure, and the northern region shall be bounded by equal limits. And the cities shall be in the center, and the suburbs shall be outside.

The measure of this space of land is to be two thousand cubits outside the town on the east, and two thousand cubits on the south and on the west and on the north, the town being in the middle. This space will be the outskirts of their towns.

6 Now, from the towns which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for the assistance of fugitives, so that he who has shed blood may flee to them. And, aside from these, there shall be forty-two other towns,

And the towns which you give the Levites are to be the six safe places to which the taker of life may go in flight; and in addition you are to give them forty-two towns.

7 that is, all together forty-eight with their suburbs.

Forty-eight towns are to be given to the Levites, all with land round them.

8 And concerning these cities, which shall be given from the possessions of the sons of Israel: from those who have more, more shall be taken, and from those who have less, less shall be taken. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the measure of their inheritance.”

And these towns are to be given out of the heritage of the children of Israel, taking the greater number from those who have much, and a smaller number from those who have little: everyone, in the measure of his heritage, is to give of his property to the Levites.

9 The Lord said to Moses:

And the Lord said to Moses,

10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

Say to the children of Israel, when you have gone over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

11 discern which cities ought to be for the protection of fugitives who have shed blood unwillingly.

Then let certain towns be marked out as safe places to which anyone who takes the life of another in error may go in flight.

12 And when a fugitive is in these, the kinsman of the deceased shall not be able to kill him, until he stands in the sight of the multitude and his case is judged.

In these towns you may be safe from him who has the right of punishment; so that death may not overtake the taker of life till he has been judged by the meeting of the people.

13 Then, among those cities which are separated for relief to fugitives,

Six of the towns which you give will be such safe places;

14 three shall be across the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan,

Three on the other side of Jordan and three in the land of Canaan, to be safe places for flight.

15 as much for the sons of Israel as for newcomers and sojourners, so that anyone who has shed blood unwillingly may flee to these places.

For the children of Israel and for the man from another country who is living among them, these six towns are to be safe places, where anyone causing the death of another through error may go in flight.

16 If anyone will have struck someone with iron, and he who was struck will have died, then he shall be guilty of homicide, and he himself shall die.

But if a man gives another man a blow with an iron instrument, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

17 If he will have thrown a stone, and he who has been struck lies dead, then he shall be punished similarly.

Or if he gives him a blow with a stone in his hand, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

18 If he who has been struck with wood passes away, he shall be avenged by the blood of the one who struck him.

Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

19 The close relative of the deceased shall put to death the murderer; as soon as he apprehends him, he shall put him to death.

He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.

20 If, out of hatred, anyone assaults a man, or throws anything at him with ill intent,

If in his hate he put a sword through him, or waiting secretly for him sent a spear or stone at him, causing his death;

21 or, while being his enemy, strikes him with his hand, and so he has died, the attacker shall be guilty of murder. The kinsman of the deceased, as soon as he finds him, shall cut his throat.

Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.

22 But if by chance, and without hatred

But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him,

23 or animosity, he will have done any of these things,

Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil:

24 and this has been proven in the hearing of the people, and the questions have been aired, between the one who struck and the close relative,

Then let the meeting of the people be judge between the man responsible for the death and him who has the right of punishment for blood, acting by these rules:

25 then the innocent one shall be freed from the hand of the revenger, and he shall be returned by this judgment into the city to which he had fled, and he shall stay there until the high priest, who has been anointed with the holy oil, dies.

And let the people keep the man responsible for the death safe from the hands of him who has the right of punishment for blood, and send him back to his safe town where he had gone in flight: there let him be till the death of the high priest who was marked with the holy oil.

26 If the one who has killed has been found beyond the limits of the cities which have been assigned to the exiled,

But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight,

27 and he has been struck by him who is avenging blood, he who killed him shall not be harmed.

And the giver of punishment, meeting him outside the walls of the town, puts him to death, he will not be responsible for his blood:

28 For the fugitive ought to have resided in the city, until the death of the high priest. Then, after he is dead, the one who has killed shall be returned to his own land.

Because he had been ordered to keep inside the safe town till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the taker of life may come back to the place of his heritage.

29 These things shall be a perpetual ordinance in all your habitations.

These rules are to be your guide in judging through all your generations wherever you may be living.

30 The punishment of a murderer shall be based upon testimony; but no one shall be condemned upon the testimony of only one person.

Anyone causing the death of another is himself to be put to death on the word of witnesses: but the word of one witness is not enough.

31 You shall not accept money from him who is guilty of blood, and he shall be put to death promptly.

Further, no price may be given for the life of one who has taken life and whose right reward is death: he is certainly to be put to death.

32 Exiles and fugitives, prior to the death of the high priest, are by no means able to be returned to their own cities.

And no price may be offered for one who has gone in flight to a safe town, for the purpose of letting him come back to his place before the death of the high priest.

33 Do not pollute the land of your habitation, so as to stain it with the blood of the innocent; neither is it able to be expiated in any way other than by the blood of him who has shed the blood of another.

So do not make the land where you are living unholy: for blood makes the land unholy: and there is no way of making the land free from the blood which has come on it, but only by the death of him who was the cause of it.

34 And so shall your possession be cleansed, while I myself am abiding with you. For I am the Lord, who lives among the sons of Israel.”

Do not make unclean the land where you are living and in which is my House: for I the Lord am present among the children of Israel.