Numbers 35

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

Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

2 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.

“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

3 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.

The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

4 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.

The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the wall on every side.

5 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.

You are also to measure two thousand cubits outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.

6 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.

Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

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

The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.

8 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.

The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When ye have passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 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.

designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

12 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.

You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

13 And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge.

The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.

14 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.

Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

15 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.

These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

16 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.

If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

17 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.

Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

18 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.

If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

19 The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

20 But if he shall thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying in wait, that he die.

Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,

21 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.

or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

22 But if he shall thrust him suddenly without enmity, or shall have cast upon him any thing without laying in wait,

But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

23 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:

or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments:

then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

25 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.

The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he had fled;

But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled

27 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:

and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed

28 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.

because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.

29 So these [things] shall be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

30 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.

If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

31 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.

You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

32 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.

Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

33 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.

Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, in which I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.

Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”