Numbers 35

1 And YHWH speaks to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, [near] Jericho, saying,

And the Lord also spoke these things to Moses in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho:

2 “Command the sons of Israel, and they have given to the Levites cities to inhabit from the inheritance of their possession; you also give [the] outskirt around them, of the cities, to the Levites.

“Instruct the sons of Israel, so that they may give to the Levites, from their possessions,

3 And the cities have been for them to inhabit, and their outskirts are for their livestock, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

cities as dwelling places, with their surrounding suburbs, so that they may lodge in the towns, and so that the suburbs may be for cattle and beasts of burden.

4 And the outskirts of the cities which you give to the Levites [are], from the wall of the city and outside, one thousand cubits around.

The suburbs shall extend from the outer walls of the cities, all around, for the space of one thousand steps.

5 And you have measured from the outside of the city: the east quarter—two thousand by the cubit, and the south quarter—two thousand by the cubit, and the west quarter—two thousand by the cubit, and the north quarter—two thousand by the cubit; and the city [is] in the midst; this is the outskirts of the cities to them.

Facing the east, there shall be two thousand cubits, and facing the south, similarly, there shall be two thousand cubits. Toward the sea, also, which looks out toward the west, there shall be the same measure, and the northern region shall be bounded by equal limits. And the cities shall be in the center, and the suburbs shall be outside.

6 And the cities which you give to the Levites [are] the six cities of refuge, which you give for the fleeing there of the manslayer, and besides them you give forty-two cities;

Now, from the towns which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for the assistance of fugitives, so that he who has shed blood may flee to them. And, aside from these, there shall be forty-two other towns,

7 all the cities which you give to the Levites [are] forty-eight cities, them and their outskirts.

that is, all together forty-eight with their suburbs.

8 And the cities which you give [are] from the possession of the sons of Israel; from the many you multiply, and from the few you diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, gives to the Levites from his cities.”

And concerning these cities, which shall be given from the possessions of the sons of Israel: from those who have more, more shall be taken, and from those who have less, less shall be taken. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the measure of their inheritance.”

9 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses:

10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you have said to them: When you are passing over the Jordan to the land of Canaan,

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 and have prepared cities for yourselves—they are cities of refuge to you—then a manslayer, striking a person through ignorance, has fled there,

discern which cities ought to be for the protection of fugitives who have shed blood unwillingly.

12 and the cities have been for a refuge to you from the redeemer, and the manslayer does not die until his standing before the congregation for judgment.

And when a fugitive is in these, the kinsman of the deceased shall not be able to kill him, until he stands in the sight of the multitude and his case is judged.

13 As for the cities which you give, six [are] cities of refuge to you;

Then, among those cities which are separated for relief to fugitives,

14 three of the cities you give from beyond the Jordan, and three of the cities you give in the land of Canaan; they are cities of refuge.

three shall be across the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan,

15 For sons of Israel, and for a sojourner, and for a settler in their midst, are these six cities for a refuge, for the fleeing there of anyone striking a person through ignorance.

as much for the sons of Israel as for newcomers and sojourners, so that anyone who has shed blood unwillingly may flee to these places.

16 And if he has struck him with an instrument of iron, and he dies, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.

If anyone will have struck someone with iron, and he who was struck will have died, then he shall be guilty of homicide, and he himself shall die.

17 And if he has struck him with a stone [in] the hand, with which he could die, and he dies, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.

If he will have thrown a stone, and he who has been struck lies dead, then he shall be punished similarly.

18 Or [if] he has struck him with a wooden instrument [in] the hand, with which he could die, and he dies, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.

If he who has been struck with wood passes away, he shall be avenged by the blood of the one who struck him.

19 The redeemer of blood puts the murderer to death himself; in his coming against him he puts him to death.

The close relative of the deceased shall put to death the murderer; as soon as he apprehends him, he shall put him to death.

20 And if he pushes him in hatred, or has cast [anything] at him by lying in wait, and he dies,

If, out of hatred, anyone assaults a man, or throws anything at him with ill intent,

21 or he has struck him with his hand in enmity, and he dies, the striker is certainly put to death; he [is] a murderer; the redeemer of blood puts the murderer to death in his coming against him.

or, while being his enemy, strikes him with his hand, and so he has died, the attacker shall be guilty of murder. The kinsman of the deceased, as soon as he finds him, shall cut his throat.

22 And if, in an instant, without enmity, he has pushed him, or has cast any instrument at him without lying in wait,

But if by chance, and without hatred

23 or with any stone with which he could die, without seeing, indeed, causes [it] to fall on him, and he dies, and he [is] not his enemy, nor seeking his evil,

or animosity, he will have done any of these things,

24 then the congregation has judged between the striker and the redeemer of blood by these judgments.

and this has been proven in the hearing of the people, and the questions have been aired, between the one who struck and the close relative,

25 And the congregation has delivered the manslayer out of the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the congregation has caused him to return to the city of his refuge, to where he has fled, and he has dwelt in it until the death of the chief priest who has been anointed with the holy oil.

then the innocent one shall be freed from the hand of the revenger, and he shall be returned by this judgment into the city to which he had fled, and he shall stay there until the high priest, who has been anointed with the holy oil, dies.

26 And if the manslayer indeed goes out [from] the border of the city of his refuge to where he flees,

If the one who has killed has been found beyond the limits of the cities which have been assigned to the exiled,

27 and the redeemer of blood has found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood has slain the manslayer, blood [is] not [reckoned] to him;

and he has been struck by him who is avenging blood, he who killed him shall not be harmed.

28 for he dwells in the city of his refuge until the death of the chief priest; and after the death of the chief priest the manslayer turns back to the city of his possession.

For the fugitive ought to have resided in the city, until the death of the high priest. Then, after he is dead, the one who has killed shall be returned to his own land.

29 And these things have been for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.

These things shall be a perpetual ordinance in all your habitations.

30 Whoever strikes a person, by the mouth of witnesses [one] slays the murderer; and one witness does not testify against a person to cause [him] to die.

The punishment of a murderer shall be based upon testimony; but no one shall be condemned upon the testimony of only one person.

31 And you take no atonement for the life of a murderer who [is] condemned to die, for he is certainly put to death;

You shall not accept money from him who is guilty of blood, and he shall be put to death promptly.

32 and you take no atonement for him [who had] to flee to the city of his refuge, to return to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

Exiles and fugitives, prior to the death of the high priest, are by no means able to be returned to their own cities.

33 And you do not profane the land which you [are] in, for blood profanes the land; as for the land, it is not pardoned for blood which is shed in it except by the blood of him who sheds it;

Do not pollute the land of your habitation, so as to stain it with the blood of the innocent; neither is it able to be expiated in any way other than by the blood of him who has shed the blood of another.

34 and you do not defile the land in which you are dwelling, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, YHWH, dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel.”

And so shall your possession be cleansed, while I myself am abiding with you. For I am the Lord, who lives among the sons of Israel.”