Numbers 35

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses to the west of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites.

Give orders to the children of Israel, and they shall give to the Levites cities to dwell in from the lot of their possession, and they shall give to the Levites the suburbs of the cities round about them.

3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

And the cities shall be for them to dwell in, and their enclosures shall be for their cattle and all their beasts.

4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.

And the suburbs of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outwards two thousand cubits round about.

5 And ye shall measure without 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 midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

And thou shalt measure outside 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 your city shall be in the midst of this, and the suburbs of the cities [as described].

6 And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee thither: and beside them ye shall give forty and two cities.

And ye shall give the cities to the Levites, the six cities of refuge which ye shall give for the slayer to flee thither, and in addition to these, forty-two cities.

7 All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them [shall ye give] with their suburbs.

Ye shall give to the Levites in all forty-eight cities, them and their suburbs.

8 And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites.

And as for the cities which ye shall give out of the possession of the children of Israel, from those [that have] much [ye shall give] much, and from those that have less ye shall give less: they shall give of their cities to the Levites each one according to his inheritance which they shall inherit.

9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

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

Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Ye are to cross over Jordan into the land of Chanaan.

11 then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the manslayer which killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

And ye shall appoint to yourselves cities: they shall be to you cities of refuge for the slayer to flee to, every one who has killed another unintentionally.

12 And the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment.

And the cities shall be to you places of refuge from the avenger of blood, and the slayer shall not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13 And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

And the cities which ye shall assign, [even] the six cities, shall be places of refuge for you.

14 Ye shall give three cities beyond Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.

Ye shall assign three cities on the other side of Jordan, and ye shall assign three cities in the land of Chanaan.

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

It shall be a place of refuge for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for him that sojourns among you; these cities shall be for a place of refuge, for every one to flee thither who has killed a man unintentionally.

16 But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer shall surely be put to death.

And if he should smite him with an iron instrument, and the man should die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

17 And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer shall surely be put to death.

And if he should smite him with a stone [thrown] from his hand, whereby a man may die, and he [thus] die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

18 Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer shall surely be put to death.

And if he should smite him with an instrument of wood from his hand, whereby he may die, and he [thus] die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the manslayer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.

The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: whensoever he shall meet him he shall slay him.

20 And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died;

And if he should thrust him through enmity, or cast any thing upon him from an ambuscade, and the man should die,

21 or in enmity smote him with his hand, that he died: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a manslayer: the avenger of blood shall put the manslayer to death, when he meeteth him.

or if he have smitten him with his hand through anger, and the man should die, let the man that smote him be put to death by all means, he is a murderer: let the murderer by all means be put to death: the avenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meets him.

22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait,

But if he should thrust him suddenly, not through enmity, or cast any thing upon him, not from an ambuscade,

23 or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

or [smite him] with any stone, whereby a man may die, unawares, and it should fall upon him, and he should die, but he was not his enemy, nor sought to hurt him;

24 then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these judgments:

then the assembly shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood, according to these judgments.

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, whither he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

And the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he fled for refuge; and he shall dwell there till the death of the high-priest, whom they anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth;

But if the slayer should in any wise go out beyond the bounds of the city whither he fled for refuge,

27 and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

and the avenger of blood should find him without the bounds of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood should kill the slayer, he is not guilty.

28 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 manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.

For he ought to have remained in the city of refuge till the high-priest died; and after the death of the high-priest the slayer shall return to the land of his possession.

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

And these things shall be to you for an ordinance of judgment throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 Whoso killeth any person, the manslayer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.

Whoever kills a man, thou shalt slay the murderer on the testimony of witnesses; and one witness shall not testify against a soul that he should die.

31 Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a manslayer, which is guilty of death: but he shall surely be put to death.

And ye shall not accept ransoms for life from a murderer who is worthy of death, for he shall be surely put to death.

32 And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to his city of refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

Ye shall not accept a ransom [to excuse] his fleeing to the city of refuge, so that he should again dwell in the land, until the death of the high-priest.

33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land: and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

So shall ye not pollute with murder the land in which ye dwell; for this blood pollutes the land, and the land shall not be purged from the blood shed upon it, but by the blood of him that shed it.

34 And thou shalt not defile 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.

And ye shall not defile the land whereon ye dwell, on which I dwell in the midst of you; for I am the Lord dwelling in the midst of the children of Israel.