Numbers 35

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

And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, 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.

Command the children of Israel, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give [also] to the Levites suburbs for the cities around them.

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

And they shall have the cities to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, 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 suburbs of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, [shall reach] from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits on all sides.

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 ye shall measure from without 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 the city [shall be] in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the 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 among the cities which ye shall give to the Levites [there shall be] six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the man-slayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

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

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

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 the cities which ye shall give [shall be] of the possession of the children of Israel: from [them that have] many ye shall give many; but from [them that have] few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

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

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When ye have passed over Jordan 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.

Then ye shall appoint for you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, who killeth any person at unawares.

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 they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the man-slayer may not die, until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

13 You must choose six cities as cities of refuge.

And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have 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 give three cities on this side of Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, [which] shall be 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 shall be a refuge, [both] for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares 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 he shall smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he shall die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to 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.

And if he shall smite him by throwing a stone, by which he may die, and he shall die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to 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 shall smite him with a hand-weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he shall die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to 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 avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: 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 he shall thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying in 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 in enmity shall smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote [him] shall surely be put to death; [for] he [is] a murderer: the avenger of blood shall slay the murderer, 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 shall thrust him suddenly without enmity, or shall have cast upon him any thing without laying in wait,

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 with any stone, by which a man may die, seeing [him] not, and shall cast [it] upon him, that he die, and [was] not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

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 judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments:

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 deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled: and he shall abide in it to the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

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 shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he had 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 avenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood shall kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

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 have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into 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 [things] shall be for a statute of judgment to 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.

Whoever killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any 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.

Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, who [is] guilty of death: but he shall be surely 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.

And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that hath fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the 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 in which ye [are]: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, 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 land which ye shall inhabit, in which I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.