Numbers 35

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said,

And the Lord spake vnto Moses in the plaine of Moab by Iorden, toward Iericho, saying,

2 “Command the people of Israel to give some of their own shares of land to the Levites. They must give them cities to live in and pastureland surrounding those cities.

Commande ye children of Israel, that they giue vnto the Leuites of the inheritace of their possession, cities to dwell in: yee shall giue also vnto the Leuites the suburbes of the cities round about them.

3 The Levites will have these cities to live in. The pastureland will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their animals.

So they shall haue the cities to dwell in, and their suburbes shall be for their cattell, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

4 The pasturelands around the cities that you will give to the Levites must extend from the city walls for one thousand cubits in every direction.

And the suburbes of the cities, which ye shall giue vnto the Leuites, from the wall of the citie outward, shalbe a thousand cubites round about.

5 You must measure two thousand cubits from outside the city on the east side, and two thousand cubits to the south side, two thousand cubits to the west side, and two thousand cubits to the north side. This will be the pasturelands for their cities. The cities will be in the center.

And yee shall measure without the citie of the Eastside, two thousand cubites: and of the Southside, two thousand cubites: and of the Westside, two thousand cubites: and of ye Northside, two thousand cubites: and the citie shalbe in ye middes. this shalbe the measure of the suburbes of their cities.

6 Six of the cities that you will give to Levites must serve as cities of refuge. You must provide these as places to which a person who has killed someone can flee. Also provide forty-two other cities.

And of the cities which yee shall giue vnto the Leuites, there shalbe sixe cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint, that he which killeth, may flee thither: and to them yee shall adde two and fourtie cities more.

7 The cities that you give to the Levites will total forty-eight. You must give their pasturelands with them.

All the cities which yee shall giue to the Leuites, shalbe eight and fourtie cities: them shall ye giue with their suburbes.

8 The larger tribes of the people of Israel, the tribes that have more land, must provide more cities. The smaller tribes will provide fewer cities. Each tribe must provide for the Levites according to the share that it has received.”

And concerning the cities which yee shall giue, of the possession of the children of Israel: of many ye shall take more, and of few ye shall take lesse: euery one shall giue of his cities vnto the Leuites, according to his inheritance, which hee inheriteth.

9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, When ye be come ouer Iorden into the land of Canaan,

11 then you must choose cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, a place to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.

Ye shall appoint you cities, to bee cities of refuge for you, that the slayer, which slayeth any person vnwares, may flee thither.

12 These cities must be your refuge from the avenger, so that the accused man will not be killed without first standing trial before the community.

And these cities shalbe for you a refuge from the auenger, that he which killeth, die not, vntill he stand before the Congregation in iudgement.

13 You must choose six cities as cities of refuge.

And of the cities which ye shall giue, sixe cities shall ye haue for refuge.

14 You must provide three cities beyond the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. They will be cities of refuge.

Ye shall appoint three on this side Iorden, and ye shall appoint three cities in the lande of Canaan which shalbe cities of refuge.

15 For the people of Israel, for the foreigners, for anyone living among you, these six cities will serve as a refuge to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally can flee.

These six cities shalbe a refuge for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for him that dwelleth among you, that euery one which killeth any person vnwares, may flee thither.

16 But if an accused man has struck his victim with an instrument of iron, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death.

And if one smite another with an instrument of yron that hee die, hee is a murtherer, and the murtherer shall die the death.

17 If an accused man has struck his victim with a stone in his hand that might kill the victim, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death.

Also if hee smite him by casting a stone, wherewith hee may be slaine, and he die, hee is a murtherer, and the murtherer shall die the death.

18 If an accused man has struck his victim with a wooden weapon that might kill the victim, and if the victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death.

Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may be slaine, if he die, he is a murtherer, and the murtherer shall die the death.

19 The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death. When he meets him, the avenger of blood must put him to death.

The reuenger of the blood himselfe shall slay the murtherer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

20 If he strikes another in hatred or throws something at him, while hiding to ambush him, so that the victim dies,

But if hee thrust him of hate, or hurle at him by laying of wait, that he die,

21 or if he strikes him down in hatred with his hand so that the victim dies, then the accused who struck him must surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death when he meets him.

Or smite him through enimitie with his hand, that he die, he that smote him shall die ye death: for hee is a murtherer: the reuenger of the blood shall slay the murtherer when he meeteth him.

22 But if an accused man suddenly hits a victim without premeditated hate or throws something that hits the victim without lying in wait

But if he pusshed him vnaduisedly, and not of hatred, or cast vpon him any thing, without laying of waite,

23 or if he throws a stone that could kill a victim without seeing the victim, then the accused was not the victim's enemy; he was not trying to hurt the victim. But this is what to do if the victim dies anyway.

Or any stone (whereby he might be slaine) and sawe him not, or caused it to fall vpon him, and he die, and was not his enemie, neither sought him any harme,

24 In that case, the community must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood on the basis of these rules.

Then the Congregation shall iudge betweene the slayer and the auenger of blood according to these lawes.

25 The community must rescue the accused from the power of the avenger of blood. The community must return the accused to the city of refuge to which he had originally fled. He must live there until the death of the current high priest, the one who was anointed with the holy oil.

And the Congregation shall deliuer the slayer out of the hande of the auenger of blood, and the Congregation shall restore him vnto the citie of his refuge, whither hee was fled: and hee shall abide there vnto the death of the hie Priest, which is anointed with the holy oyle.

26 But if the accused man at any time goes beyond the border of the city of refuge to which he fled,

But if the slayer come without the borders of the citie of his refuge, whither he was fled,

27 and if the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and if he kills the accused man, the avenger of blood will not be guilty of murder.

And the reuenger of blood finde him without the borders of the citie of his refuge, and the reueger of blood slay ye murtherer, he shalbe giltles,

28 This is because the accused man should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the accused may return to the land where he has his own property.

Because he should haue remained in the citie of his refuge, vntill the death of the hie Priest: and after the death of the hie Priest, the slayer shall returne vnto the land of his possession.

29 These laws must be statutes for you through all your people's generations in all the places where you live.

So these thinges shall be a lawe of iudgement vnto you, throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be killed, as testified to by the words of witnesses. But one witness' word alone may not cause any person to be put to death.

Whosoeuer killeth any person, the Iudge shall slay the murtherer, through witnesses: but one witnesse shall not testifie against a person to cause him to die.

31 Also, you must not accept ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of murder. He must certainly be put to death.

Moreouer ye shall take no recompense for the life of the murtherer, which is worthy to die: but he shalbe put to death.

32 You must not accept ransom for the one who has fled to a city of refuge. You must not in this way allow him to reside on his own property until the high priest dies.

Also ye shall take no recompense for him that is fled to the citie of his refuge, that he should come againe, and dwell in the lande, before the death of the hie Priest.

33 Do not pollute in this way the land where you live, because blood from murder pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land when blood has been shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye shall dwell: for blood defileth the land: and the land cannot be clensed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

34 So you must not defile the land in which you live because I am living in it. I, Yahweh, live among the people of Israel.'”

Defile not therefore the lande which yee shall inhabite, For I dwell in the middes thereof: for I the Lord dwel among the children of Israel.