Numbers 35

1 And YHWH spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near 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 ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.

“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 the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, 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 suburbs 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.

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 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.

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 among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add 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 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.

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

8 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 unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

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 YHWH spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over 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 slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.

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

12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in 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 of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.

The towns you choose will be your six sanctuary towns.

14 Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.

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

15 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.

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 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, 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 smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, 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 smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, 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 revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

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

20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;

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

21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, 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 have cast upon him any thing without laying of 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, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and 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 slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:

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

25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which 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 slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;

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

27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

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 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.

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 So 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 put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to 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 satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely 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 satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his 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 defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of 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 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I YHWH dwell among 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.”