Numbers 35

1 The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan opposite Jericho. He told him,

The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

2 “Order the Israelites to provide from their land allocation towns for the Levites to live in and pastures around the towns.

“Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.

3 The towns are for them to live in, and the pastures will be for their herds and their flocks—for all their livestock.

They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

4 The pastures around the towns you give to the Levites are to extend out from the wall a thousand cubits on all sides.

“The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it.

5 Measure two thousand cubits outside the town on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the town in the middle. These areas will be their pastures around the towns.

You shall measure outside of 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 middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.

6 Six of the towns you give the Levites are to be sanctuary towns, where a person who kills someone can run for protection. As well as these towns, give the Levites forty-two more.

“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities.

7 The total number of towns you are to give the Levites is forty-eight, along with their pastures.

All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands.

8 The towns that you allocate to be given to the Levites from the territory of the Israelites will be more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one. The number will be in proportion to the size of the land allocation of each tribe.”

Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites.”

9 The Lord told Moses,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Tell the Israelites: ‘When you cross over the Jordan into Canaan,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 choose towns as your sanctuary towns, so a person who kills someone by mistake may run there.

then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

12 These towns will be for you places of sanctuary from those seeking revenge, so that the killer will not die until they are tried in court.

The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13 The towns you choose will be your six sanctuary towns.

The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

14 Choose three cities on the other side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.

You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.

15 These six cities will be places of sanctuary for the Israelites and for foreigners or settlers among them, so that anyone who kills a person by mistake may run there.

These six cities shall be refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreigner living among them, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

16 But if anyone deliberately hits someone with something made of iron and kills them, that person is a murderer and must be executed.

“‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 If anyone picks up something made of stone that could be used as a weapon and hits someone with it, and kills them, that person is a murderer and must be executed.

If he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 If anyone picks up something made of wood that could be used as a weapon and hits someone with it, and kills them, that person is a murderer and must be executed.

Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The avenger is to execute the murderer. When he finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20 Similarly, if anyone hates someone and knocks them down or deliberately throws something at them, and they're killed;

If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died,

21 or if someone hits another with his hand and they die, the one who hit him must be executed because he is a murderer. When the avenger finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 But if anyone knocks someone else down without meaning to and without hating them, or throws something at them not meaning to hurt them,

“‘But if he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

23 or carelessly drops a heavy stone that kills them, but not as an enemy or intending to harm them,

or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm,

24 then the community must judge between the killer and the avenger following these regulations.

then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

25 The court is to protect the killer from being attacked by the avenger and must return him to the sanctuary town that he ran to, and he must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with holy oil.

The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the killer ever leaves the limits of sanctuary town where they ran to,

“‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees,

27 and the avenger finds him them outside his sanctuary town and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of murder,

and the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,

28 because the killer has to stay in his sanctuary town until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest are they allowed to return to the land they own.

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 man slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

29 These regulations apply to all future generations wherever you live.

“‘These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be executed based on the evidence given by witnesses, plural. No one is to be executed based on the evidence given by a single witness.

“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.

31 You are not to accept payment instead of executing a murderer who has been found guilty—they must be executed.

“‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death. He shall surely be put to death.

32 Also you are not allowed to accept payment for a person who runs to a sanctuary town and permit them to return and live on their own land before the death of the high priest.

“‘You shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

33 Don't pollute the land where you live because bloodshed pollutes the land, and the land where blood is shed can't be purified except by the blood of the one who shed it.

“‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.

34 Don't make the land impure where you live because I live there too. I am the Lord, and I live with the Israelites.”

You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, where I dwell; for I, the LORD, dwell among the children of Israel.’”