< Numbers 35 >

1 And the Lord also spoke these things to Moses in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho:
And Yahweh spake unto Moses in the waste plains of Moab, —by Jordan, near Jericho, saying:
2 “Instruct the sons of Israel, so that they may give to the Levites, from their possessions,
Command the sons of Israel, that they give unto the Levites—out of the inheritance which they possess—cities to dwell in, —pasture land also unto the cities, round about them, shall ye give unto the Levites.
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.
So shall the cities be theirs, to dwell in, —and their pasture lands, shall, be for their cattle and for their goods and for all their beasts.
4 The suburbs shall extend from the outer walls of the cities, all around, for the space of one thousand steps.
And, the pasture lands of the cities which ye shall give unto the Levite, shall be, —from the wall of the city, and outwards, a thousand cubits round about
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.
So ye shall measure—on the outside of the city—the eastward 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, with, the city, in the midst. This, shall be unto them the pasture lands of the cities,
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, among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give that the manslayer may flee thither, —and besides them, ye shall give, forty-two cities,
7 that is, all together forty-eight with their suburbs.
All the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be forty-eight cities, —them, and their pasture lands,
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 as touching the cities which ye shall give out of the possession of the sons of Israel from the many, shall ye take many, and from the few, shall ye take few, —each, according to his inheritance, which they shall inherit, shall give of his cities unto the Levites.
9 The Lord said to Moses:
Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:
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,
Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say unto them, —When ye are passing over the Jordan unto the land of Canaan,
11 discern which cities ought to be for the protection of fugitives who have shed blood unwillingly.
then shall ye find for you, convenient cities, cities of refuge, shall they be unto you, —and the manslayer, who hath slain a person, by mistake, shall flee thither.
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.
So shall the cities serve you for places of refuge from the redeemer, —that the manslayer may not die, until he has stood before the assembly, for judgment,
13 Then, among those cities which are separated for relief to fugitives,
And as touching the cities which ye shall give six cities of refuge, shall there be unto you.
14 three shall be across the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan,
Three of the cities, shall ye give, on this side the Jordan, and three of the cities, shall ye give in the land of Canaan, —cities of refuge, shall they be.
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 sons of Israel and for the sojourner. and for the settler in your midst, shall these six cities serve, as places of refuge, —that any one may flee thither who hath slain a person, by mistake.
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.
If, then, with an instrument of iron, he smote him, and he died, a manslayer, he is, —a manslayer, shall surely die.
17 If he will have thrown a stone, and he who has been struck lies dead, then he shall be punished similarly.
Or if with a stone thrown by hand, where-by one might die, he smote him and he died, a manslayer, he is, —the man-slayer, shall surely die,
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 with hand-weapon of wood, wherewith one might die, he smote him and he died a manslayer, he is, —the manslayer shall surely die.
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.
The blood-redeemer, he, shall put to death the man-slayer, —when he lighteth upon him, he, shall put him to death.
20 If, out of hatred, anyone assaults a man, or throws anything at him with ill intent,
Or if with hate, he shall thrust at him, or hurl at him designedly, and he have died,
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 if with enmity, he hath smitten him with his hand and he is dead, then shall he that dealt the blow, be surely put to death. a manslayer, he is—the blood-redeemer shall put to death the man-slayer, when he lighteth upon him.
22 But if by chance, and without hatred
But if suddenly, without enmity, he shall thrust him, or hurl upon him any missile, without design;
23 or animosity, he will have done any of these things,
Or with any stone whereby one might die without seeing him, and it fall upon him, and he dieth; he, not being at enmity with him, nor seeking to harm him,
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 shall the assembly judge, between him that smote and the blood-redeemer, —according to these regulations;
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 the assembly shall rescue the manslayer out of the hand of the blood-redeemer, and the assembly shall restore him unto his city of refuge whither he had fled, —and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who hath been anointed with the hallowing 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 the man-slayer, go out, of the bounds of his city of refuge, whereinto he hath fled;
27 and he has been struck by him who is avenging blood, he who killed him shall not be harmed.
and the blood-redeemer, find him, outside the bounds of his city of refuge, then may the blood-redeemer slay the slayer, without being guilty of 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.
for in his city of refuge, should he have remained, until the death of the high priest, —and, after the death of the high priest, might he have returned into the land which he doth possess.
29 These things shall be a perpetual ordinance in all your habitations.
So shall these serve you as a regulative statute unto your generations, —wheresoever ye may dwell.
30 The punishment of a murderer shall be based upon testimony; but no one shall be condemned upon the testimony of only one person.
Whosoever taketh away life, at the mouth of witnesses, shall, the slayer be slain, —but, one witness, shall not testify against a person, to put him to death.
31 You shall not accept money from him who is guilty of blood, and he shall be put to death promptly.
And ye shall accept no ransom for the life of him that slayeth, if he have unlawfully caused death, —but he, must surely 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 ye shall accept no ransom for him that hath fled to his city of refuge, if he should return to dwell in the land before the death of the 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 shall ye not pollute the land wherein ye are, for blood, doth pollute the land, and for the land, no propitiatory-covering can be made, as touching blood, that is shed therein, save with the blood of him that shed 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.”
thou must not then make unclean the land wherein, ye, are dwelling, in the midst of which, I, have my habitation; for, I,—Yahweh, am making my habitation in the midst of the sons of Israel.

< Numbers 35 >