Numbers 35

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

And the Lord spoke to Moses to the west of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

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, and they shall give to the Levites cities to dwell in from the lot of their possession, and they shall give to the Levites the suburbs of the cities round about them.

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;

And the cities shall be for them to dwell in, and their enclosures shall be for their cattle 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;

And the suburbs of the cities which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outwards two thousand cubits round about.

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.

And you shall measure outside 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 your city shall be in the midst of this, and the suburbs of the cities [as described].

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 you shall give the cities to the Levites, the six cities of refuge which you shall give for the slayer to flee there, and in addition to these, forty-two cities.

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

You shall give to the Levites in all forty-eight cities, them and their suburbs.

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 as for the cities which you shall give out of the possession of the children of Israel, from those [that have] much [you shall give] much, and from those that have less you shall give less: they shall give of their cities to the Levites each one according to his inheritance which they shall inherit.

9 The Lord seide to Moises,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

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

Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, You are to cross over Jordan into the land of Chanaan.

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

And you shall appoint to yourselves cities: they shall be to you cities of refuge for the slayer to flee to, every one who has killed another unintentionally.

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.

And the cities shall be to you places of refuge from the avenger of blood, and the slayer shall not die until he stands before the congregation for judgement.

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

And the cities which you shall assign, [even] the six cities, shall be places of refuge for you.

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

You shall assign three cities on the other side of Jordan, and you shall assign three cities in the land of Chanaan.

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

It shall be a place of refuge for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for him that sojourns amongst you; these cities shall be for a place of refuge, for every one to flee there who has killed a man unintentionally.

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.

And if he should strike him with an iron instrument, and the man should die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means 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.

And if he should strike him with a stone [thrown] from his hand, whereby a man may die, and he [thus] die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.

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

And if he should strike him with an instrument of wood from his hand, whereby he may die, and he [thus] die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means 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.

The avenger of blood himself shall kill the murderer: whenever he shall meet him he shall kill him.

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

And if he should thrust him through enmity, or cast any thing upon him from an ambuscade, and the man should die,

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 if he have struck him with his hand through anger, and the man should die, let the man that struck him be put to death by all means, he is a murderer: let the murderer by all means be put to death: the avenger of blood shall kill the murderer when he meets him.

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

But if he should thrust him suddenly, not through enmity, or cast any thing upon him, not from an ambuscade,

23 he doith ony thing of these;

or [strike him] with any stone, whereby a man may die, unawares, and it should fall upon him, and he should die, but he was not his enemy, nor sought to hurt him;

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

then the assembly shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood, according to these judgements.

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 the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he fled for refuge; and he shall dwell there till the death of the high-priest, whom they anointed 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 the slayer should in any wise go out beyond the bounds of the city whither he fled for refuge,

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 avenger of blood should find him without the bounds of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood should kill the slayer, he is not guilty.

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.

For he ought to have remained in the city of refuge till the high-priest died; and after the death of the high-priest the slayer shall return to the land of his possession.

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

And these things shall be to you for an ordinance of judgement throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

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

Whoever kills a man, you shall kill the murderer on the testimony of witnesses; and one witness shall not testify against a soul that he should die.

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

And you shall not accept ransoms for life from a murderer who is worthy of death, for he shall be surely 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,

You shall not accept a ransom [to excuse] his fleeing to the city of refuge, so that he should again dwell in the land, until 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 shall you not pollute with murder the land in which you dwell; for this blood pollutes the land, and the land shall not be purged from the blood shed upon it, but by the blood of him that shed 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.

And you shall not defile the land whereon you dwell, on which I dwell in the midst of you; for I am the Lord dwelling in the midst of the children of Israel.