Numbers 35

1 And the Lord spak these thingis to Moises, in the feeldi places of Moab, aboue Jordan,

And the Lord said to Moses in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho,

2 ayens Jericho, Comaunde thou to the sones of Israel, that thei yyue to dekenes of her possessiouns,

Give orders to the children of Israel to give to the Levites, from the heritage which is theirs, towns for themselves, with land on the outskirts of the towns.

3 citees to dwelle, and the suburbabis of tho bi cumpas, that thei dwelle in `the citees, and the suburbabis be to beestis, and `werk beestis;

These towns are to be their living-places, with land round them for their cattle and their food and all their beasts,

4 whiche suburbabis schulen be strecchid forth fro the wallis of citees with outforth `bi cumpas, in the space of a thousynde paacis;

Stretching from the wall of the towns a distance of a thousand cubits all round.

5 ayens the eest schulen be two thousynde cubitis, and ayens the south in lijk manere schulen be two thousynde cubitis, and at the see that biholdith to the west schal be the same mesure, and the north coost schal be endid bi euene terme. And the citees schulen be in the myddis, and the suburbabis with outforth.

The measure of this space of land is to be two thousand cubits outside the town on the east, and two thousand cubits on the south and on the west and on the north, the town being in the middle. This space will be the outskirts of their towns.

6 Forsothe of tho citees whiche ye schulen yyue to dekenes, sixe schulen be departid in to helpis of fugityues, `ether of fleynge men, that he that schedde blood, fle to tho; and outakun these sixe, ye schulen yyue to dekenes othere two and fourti citees,

And the towns which you give the Levites are to be the six safe places to which the taker of life may go in flight; and in addition you are to give them forty-two towns.

7 that is, togidere eiyte and fourti, with her surburbabis.

Forty-eight towns are to be given to the Levites, all with land round them.

8 And tho citees that schulen be youun of the possessiouns of sones of Israel, schulen be takun awey, mo fro hem that han more, and fewere `schulen be takun awey fro hem that han lesse, alle bi hem silf schulen yyue bi the mesure of her eritage, citees to dekenes.

And these towns are to be given out of the heritage of the children of Israel, taking the greater number from those who have much, and a smaller number from those who have little: everyone, in the measure of his heritage, is to give of his property to the Levites.

9 The Lord seide to Moises,

And the Lord said to Moses,

10 Spek thou to the sones of Israel, and thou schalt seie to hem, Whanne ye han passid Jordan, in the lond of Canaan,

Say to the children of Israel, when you have gone over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

11 deme ye whiche citees owen to be in to the helpis of fugityues, whiche not wilfuli han sched blood.

Then let certain towns be marked out as safe places to which anyone who takes the life of another in error may go in flight.

12 In whiche whanne the fleere hath fled, the kynesman of hym that is slayn, schal not mow sle hym, til he stonde in the siyt of the multitude, and the cause of hym be demed.

In these towns you may be safe from him who has the right of punishment; so that death may not overtake the taker of life till he has been judged by the meeting of the people.

13 Forsothe of tho citees that ben departid to the helpis of fugityues,

Six of the towns which you give will be such safe places;

14 thre schulen be ouer Jordan, and thre in the lond of Canaan;

Three on the other side of Jordan and three in the land of Canaan, to be safe places for flight.

15 as wel to the sones of Israel as to comelyngis and pilgryms; that he fle to tho citees, that schedde blood not wilfuli.

For the children of Israel and for the man from another country who is living among them, these six towns are to be safe places, where anyone causing the death of another through error may go in flight.

16 If ony man smytith a man with yrun, and he that is smytun is deed, `the smyter schal be gilti of mansleyng, and he schal die.

But if a man gives another man a blow with an iron instrument, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

17 If he castith a stoon, and a man is deed bi the strook, he schal be punyschid in lijk maner.

Or if he gives him a blow with a stone in his hand, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

18 If a man smytun with a staf dieth, he schal be vengid bi `the blood of the smytere.

Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

19 The niy kynesman of hym that is slayn schal sle the mansleere; anoon as he takith hym, `that is, the manquellere, he schal sle hym.

He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.

20 If bi haterede a man hurtlith, `ethir schoufith, `a man, ethir castith ony thing in to hym bi aspiyngis,

If in his hate he put a sword through him, or waiting secretly for him sent a spear or stone at him, causing his death;

21 ether whanne he was enemy, smoot with hond, and he is deed, the smytere schal be gilti of mansleyng. The kynesman `of him that is slayn, anoon as he findith him, `that is, the sleere, schal sle hym.

Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.

22 That if bi sudeyn caas, and without hatrede and enemytees,

But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him,

23 he doith ony thing of these;

Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil:

24 and this is preued in heryng `of the puple, and the questioun of blood is discussid bitwixe the smytere and the kynesman,

Then let the meeting of the people be judge between the man responsible for the death and him who has the right of punishment for blood, acting by these rules:

25 the innocent schal be delyuered fro the hond of the vengere, and bi sentence of iugis he schal be led ayen in to the citee, to which he fledde, and he schal dwelle there, til the grete preest die, which is anoyntid with oile.

And let the people keep the man responsible for the death safe from the hands of him who has the right of punishment for blood, and send him back to his safe town where he had gone in flight: there let him be till the death of the high priest who was marked with the holy oil.

26 If the sleere is foundun with out the coostis `of the citees that ben asigned to exilid men,

But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight,

27 and is slayn of him that is vengere, he that sleeth him, `that is, the exilid man, schal be with out gilt;

And the giver of punishment, meeting him outside the walls of the town, puts him to death, he will not be responsible for his blood:

28 for the exilid man ouyte sitte in the citee `til to the `deth of the bischop; forsothe aftir that thilke bischop is deed, the mansleere schal turne ayen in to his lond.

Because he had been ordered to keep inside the safe town till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the taker of life may come back to the place of his heritage.

29 These schulen be euerlastynge and lawful thingis in alle youre dwellyngis.

These rules are to be your guide in judging through all your generations wherever you may be living.

30 A mansleere schal be punyschid vndur witnessis; no man schal `be dampned at the witnessyng of o man.

Anyone causing the death of another is himself to be put to death on the word of witnesses: but the word of one witness is not enough.

31 Ye schulen not take prijs of him which is gilti of blood, anoon and he schal die.

Further, no price may be given for the life of one who has taken life and whose right reward is death: he is certainly to be put to death.

32 Men exilid, and fugityues, schulen not mow turne ayen in ony maner in to her citees, bifore the deeth of the bischop, lest ye defoulen the lond of youre abitacioun,

And no price may be offered for one who has gone in flight to a safe town, for the purpose of letting him come back to his place before the death of the high priest.

33 which is defoulid bi the blood of innocent men; and it may not be clensid in other maner, no but bi the blood of hym, that schedde the blood of anothir man.

So do not make the land where you are living unholy: for blood makes the land unholy: and there is no way of making the land free from the blood which has come on it, but only by the death of him who was the cause of it.

34 And so youre possessioun schal be clensid, for Y schal dwelle with you; for Y am the Lord, that dwelle among the sones of Israel.

Do not make unclean the land where you are living and in which is my House: for I the Lord am present among the children of Israel.