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 spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at 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 of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give 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 they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

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

And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be 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 without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs 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, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee thither: and beside them ye shall give forty and two cities.

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

All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them [shall ye give] with their suburbs.

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 concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites.

9 The Lord said to Moses:

And the LORD spake 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 pass over 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 you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the manslayer which killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

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 the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment.

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

And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

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

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

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 refuge: that every one that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

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

But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer 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 smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer 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 smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer 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 blood shall himself put the manslayer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.

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

And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died;

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 in enmity smote him with his hand, that he died: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a manslayer: the avenger of blood shall put the manslayer to death, when he meeteth him.

22 But if by chance medley, and without hatred,

But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait,

23 And enmity, he do any of these things,

or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought 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 the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these judgments:

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 blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, which was 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 shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth;

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

and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay 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 he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.

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

And these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you 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.

Whoso killeth any person, the manslayer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.

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

Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a manslayer, which 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 ransom for him that is fled to his city of 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.

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land: and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that 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 thou shalt not defile 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.