Numbers 35

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

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

that is, all together forty-eight with 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 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 the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses:

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over Jordan into 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 then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the manslayer which killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 avenger of blood shall himself put the manslayer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put 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 thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died;

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

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

But if by chance, and without hatred

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 animosity, he will have done any of these things,

24 then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 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 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.”