Numbers 35

1 And the Lord spoke these things also to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, over against Jericho:

And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

2 Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites out of their possessions,

Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and an open space for the cities round about them shall ye give [also] unto the Levites.

3 Cities to dwell in, and their suburbs round about: that they may abide in the towns, and the suburbs may be for their cattle and beasts:

And the cities shall serve them to dwell in; and their open spaces shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their requirements.

4 Which suburbs shall reach from the walls of the cities outward, a thousand paces on every side:

And the open spaces of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.

5 Toward the east shall be two thousand cubits: and toward the south in like manner shall be two thousand cubits: toward the sea also, which looketh to the west, shall be the same extent: and the north side shall be bounded with the like limits. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs without.

And ye shall measure from without 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, with the city in the midst: this shall be to them the open spaces of the cities.

6 And among the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for refuge to fugitives, that he who hath shed blood may flee to them: and besides these there shall be other forty-two cities,

And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall appoint that the manslayer may flee thither; and in addition to them shall ye give forty and two cities.

7 That is, in all forty-eight with their suburbs.

All the cities which ye shall [thus] give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities, they with their open spaces.

8 And of these cities which shall be given out of the possessions of the children of Israel, from them that have more, more shall be taken: and from them that have less, fewer. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the extent of their inheritance.

And the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the tribe that hath many shall ye give many; but from the one that hath few shall ye give few: every one according to its inheritance which it may inherit shall give of its cities unto the Levites.

9 The Lord said to Moses:

And the Lord spoke unto Moses. saying,

10 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When you shall have passed over the Jordan into the land of Chanaan,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye have passed over the Jordan into the land of Canaan:

11 Determine what cities shall be for the refuge of fugitives, who have shed blood against their will.

Then ye shall appoint unto yourselves proper cities, that they be cities of refuge for you; and thither shall flee the manslayer who killeth any person at unawares.

12 And when the fugitive shall be in them, the kinsman of him that is slain may not have power to kill him, until he stand before the multitude, and his cause be judged.

And these cities shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he have stood before the congregation for trial.

13 And of those cities, that are separated for the refuge of fugitives,

And the cities which ye shall give, shall be six cities of refuge unto you;

14 Three shall be beyond the Jordan, and three in the land of Chanaan,

Three of these cities shall ye give on this side of the Jordan, and the three other cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan: cities of refuge shall they be.

15 As well for the children of Israel as for strangers and sojourners, that he may flee to them, who hath shed blood against his will.

For the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for a refuge: that every one may flee thither that killeth any person at unawares.

16 If any man strike with iron, and he die that was struck: he shall be guilty of murder, and he himself shall die.

And if he have smitten him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 If he throw a stone, and he that is struck die: he shall be punished in the same manner.

And if he have smitten him with a stone which one can take in the hand, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 If he that is struck with wood die: he shall be revenged by the blood of him that struck him.

Or if he have smitten him with an article of wood, which one can take in the hand, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The kinsman of him that was slain, shall kill the murderer: as soon as he apprehendeth him, he shall kill him.

The avenger of the blood himself shall slay the murderer; when he meeteth him, shall he slay him.

20 If through hatred any one push a man, or fling any thing at him with ill design:

And if he push against him out of hatred, or he have hurled at him [any thing] by lying in wait, that he die;

21 Or being his enemy, strike; him with his hand, and he die: the striker shall be guilty of murder: the kinsman of him that was slain as soon as he findeth him, shall kill him.

Or if in enmity he have smitten him with his hand, that he died, he that smote him shall surely be put to death; [for] he is a murderer: the avenger of the blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth with him.

22 But if by chance medley, and without hatred,

But if he have pushed against him accidentally without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without lying in wait,

23 And enmity, he do any of these things,

Or with any stone wherewith a man may die, without seeing him, and he have let it fall upon him that he died; whereas he was not his enemy, and did not seek his harm:

24 And this be proved in the hearing of the people, and the cause be debated between him that struck, and the next of kin:

Then shall the congregation judge between the slayer and the avenger of the blood according to these institutions;

25 The innocent shall be delivered from the hand of the revenger, and shall be brought back by sentence into the city, to which he had fled, and he shall abide there until the death of the high priest, that is anointed with the holy oil.

And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of the blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled; and he shall abide in it until the death of the high-priest, who hath been anointed with the holy oil.

26 If the murderer be found without the limits of the cities that are appointed for the banished,

But if the manslayer should at any time pass the boundary of the city of his refuge, whither he may have fled;

27 And be struck by him that is the avenger of blood: he shall not be guilty that killed him.

And the avenger of the blood should find him beyond the boundary of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of the blood should kill the manslayer: he shall not be guilty of blood;

28 For the fugitive ought to have stayed in the city until the death of the high priest: and after he is dead, then shall the manslayer return to his own country.

Because in the city of his refuge shall be remain until the death of the high-priest; but after the death of the high-priest the manslayer may return unto the land of his possession.

29 These things shall be perpetual, and for an ordinance in all your dwellings.

And these things shall be unto you for a statute of justice throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.

30 The murderer shall be punished by witnesses: none shall be condemned upon the evidence of one man.

Whoever it be that killeth a person, according to the testimony of witnesses shall the murderer be put to death; but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

31 You shall not take money of him that is guilty of blood, but he shall die forthwith.

Moreover ye shall take no redemption money for the person of a murderer, who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.

32 The banished and fugitives before the death of the high priest may by no means return into their own cities.

And ye shall take no redemption money for him that hath fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

33 Defile not the land of your habitation, which is stained with the blood of the innocent: neither can it otherwise be expiated, but by his blood that hath shed the blood of another.

And ye shall not defile the land wherein ye are; for the blood it is which defileth the land: and no atonement can be made unto the land for the blood which hath been shed therein, except through the blood of him that hath shed it.

34 And thus shall your possession he cleansed, myself abiding with you. For I am the Lord that dwell among the children of Israel.

And ye shall not render unclean the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.