Numbers 35

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying:

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

2 'Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and open land round about the cities shall ye give unto the Levites.

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

3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their open land shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

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

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

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

5 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 open land about the cities.

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.

6 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.

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.

7 All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with the open land about them.

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

8 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; each tribe according to its inheritance which it inheriteth shall give of its cities unto the Levites.'

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.”

9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

The Lord told Moses,

10 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

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

11 then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither.

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

12 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.

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.

13 And as to the cities which ye shall give, there shall be for you six cities of refuge.

The towns you choose will be your six sanctuary towns.

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

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

15 For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the settler among them, shall these six cities be for refuge, that every one that killeth any person through error may flee thither.

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.

16 But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

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

17 And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

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.

18 Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

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.

19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

23 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;

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

24 then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;

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

25 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, who was anointed with the holy oil.

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.

26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth;

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

27 and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him;

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

28 because he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return into the land of his possession.

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.

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

These regulations apply to all future generations wherever you live.

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

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.

31 Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.

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

32 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.

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.

33 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.

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.

34 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.'

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