Numbers 35

1 The LORD spoke to 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 to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and you shall give suburbs for the cities around them to the Levites.

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

3 The cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their substance, and for all their animals.

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

4 "The suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand seven hundred twenty-two feet six inches around it.

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

5 You shall measure outside of the city for the east side three thousand four hundred forty-five feet, and for the south side three thousand four hundred forty-five feet, and for the west side three thousand four hundred forty-five feet, and for the north side three thousand four hundred forty-five feet, the city being 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 "The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to: and besides them you shall give forty-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 you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs.

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

8 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 of his cities to 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 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

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

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

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

12 The cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die, until he stands 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 The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

The towns you choose will be your six sanctuary towns.

14 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.

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 foreigner living among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

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 struck 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 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.

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 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.

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 meets 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 If he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, 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 struck him with his hand, so that he died; he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer, the murderer must surely be put to death; the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets 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 on him anything 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, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on 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 striker 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, where he was fled: and he shall dwell in it until the death of the cohen hagadol, 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, where he flees,

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

27 and the avenger of blood find him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kill the manslayer; 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 his city of refuge until the death of the cohen hagadol: but after the death of the cohen hagadol the manslayer 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 "'These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

These regulations apply to all future generations wherever you live.

30 "'Whoever kills 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 you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who 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 "'You shall take no ransom for him who is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the cohen.

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 you shall not pollute the land in which you are: for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who 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 You shall not defile the land which you 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.”