Numbers 35

1 And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and an open space for the cities round about them shall ye give [also] unto the Levites.

“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

3 And the cities shall serve them to dwell in; and their open spaces shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their requirements.

The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

4 And the open spaces 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 pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the wall on every side.

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, with the city in the midst: this shall be to them the open spaces of the cities.

You are also to measure two thousand cubits outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.

6 And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall appoint that the manslayer may flee thither; and in addition to them shall ye give forty and two cities.

Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

7 All the cities which ye shall [thus] give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities, they with their open spaces.

The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.

8 And the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the tribe that hath many shall ye give many; but from the one that hath few shall ye give few: every one according to its inheritance which it may inherit shall give of its cities unto the Levites.

The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

9 And the Lord spoke unto Moses. saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 Then ye shall appoint unto yourselves proper cities, that they be cities of refuge for you; and thither shall flee the manslayer who killeth any person at unawares.

designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

12 And these cities shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he have stood before the congregation for trial.

You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

13 And the cities which ye shall give, shall be six cities of refuge unto you;

The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.

14 Three of these cities shall ye give on this side of the Jordan, and the three other cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan: cities of refuge shall they be.

Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

15 For the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for a refuge: that every one may flee thither that killeth any person at unawares.

These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

16 And if he have smitten him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

17 And if he have smitten him with a stone which one can take in the hand, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

18 Or if he have smitten him with an article of wood, which one can take in the hand, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

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

The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

20 And if he push against him out of hatred, or he have hurled at him [any thing] by lying in wait, that he die;

Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,

21 Or if in enmity he have smitten him with his hand, that he died, he that smote him shall surely be put to death; [for] he is a murderer: the avenger of the blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth with him.

or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

22 But if he have pushed against him accidentally without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without lying in wait,

But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

23 Or with any stone wherewith a man may die, without seeing him, and he have let it fall upon him that he died; whereas he was not his enemy, and did not seek his harm:

or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

24 Then shall the congregation judge between the slayer and the avenger of the blood according to these institutions;

then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

25 And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of the blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled; and he shall abide in it until the death of the high-priest, who hath been anointed with the holy oil.

The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the manslayer should at any time pass the boundary of the city of his refuge, whither he may have fled;

But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled

27 And the avenger of the blood should find him beyond the boundary of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of the blood should kill the manslayer: he shall not be guilty of blood;

and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed

28 Because in the city of his refuge shall be remain until the death of the high-priest; but after the death of the high-priest the manslayer may return unto the land of his possession.

because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.

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

This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

30 Whoever it be that killeth a person, according to the testimony of witnesses shall the murderer be put to death; but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

31 Moreover ye shall take no redemption money for the person of a murderer, who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.

You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

32 And ye shall take no redemption money 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.

Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

33 And ye shall not defile the land wherein ye are; for the blood it is which defileth the land: and no atonement can be made unto the land for the blood which hath been shed therein, except through the blood of him that hath shed it.

Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

34 And ye shall not render unclean 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.

Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”