Numbers 35

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

The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

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.

“Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.

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.

They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

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 pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it.

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.

You shall measure outside of 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 middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.

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;

“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities.

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

All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands.

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.”

Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites.”

9 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

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 children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you pass over 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,

then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

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.

The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgement.

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

The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

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.

You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.

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.

These six cities shall be refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreigner living amongst them, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

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.

“‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

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 struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

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.

Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

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

The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets 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 he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died,

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 in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

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 he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

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 with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm,

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

then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

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.

The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

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

“‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees,

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 the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,

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.

because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the man slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

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

“‘These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

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.

“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.

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

“‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death. He shall surely be put to death.

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.

“‘You shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

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;

“‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.

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.”

You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, where I dwell; for I, the LORD, dwell amongst the children of Israel.’”