Numbers 35

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

And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] 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, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give [also] to the Levites suburbs for the cities around them.

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

And they shall have the cities to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

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

And the suburbs of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, [shall reach] from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits on all sides.

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.

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; and the city [shall be] in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the 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.

And among the cities which ye shall give to the Levites [there shall be] six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the man-slayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

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

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

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.”

And the cities which ye shall give [shall be] of the possession of the children of Israel: from [them that have] many ye shall give many; but from [them that have] few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

9 The Lord told Moses,

And 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 say to them, When ye have passed over 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 ye shall appoint for you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, who killeth any person at unawares.

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.

And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the man-slayer may not die, until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

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

And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge.

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

Ye shall give three cities on this side of Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, [which] 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 a refuge, [both] for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

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

And if he shall smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he shall die, 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.

And if he shall smite him by throwing a stone, by which he may die, and he shall die, 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 shall smite him with a hand-weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he shall die, 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 himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

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

But if he shall thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying in wait, that he die.

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 enmity shall smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote [him] shall surely be put to death; [for] he [is] a murderer: the avenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth 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 shall thrust him suddenly without enmity, or shall have cast upon him any thing without laying 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, seeing [him] not, and shall cast [it] upon him, that he die, and [was] not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

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

Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments:

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.

And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled: and he shall abide in it to 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 slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he had fled;

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 find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood shall kill the 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 the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

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

So these [things] shall be for a statute of judgment 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 killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person [to cause him] to die.

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

Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, who [is] guilty of death: but he shall be surely 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.

And ye shall take no satisfaction 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 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 ye shall not pollute the land in which ye [are]: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him that 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.”

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, in which I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.