< Numbers 35 >
1 And the Lord spak these thingis to Moises, in the feeldi places of Moab, aboue Jordan,
And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,
2 ayens Jericho, Comaunde thou to the sones of Israel, that thei yyue to dekenes of her possessiouns,
Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and an open space for the cities round about them shall ye give [also] unto the Levites.
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 serve them to dwell in; and their open spaces shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their requirements.
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 open spaces of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a 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 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, with the city in the midst: this shall be to them the open spaces of the cities.
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 cities which ye shall give unto the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall appoint that the manslayer may flee thither; and in addition to them shall ye give forty and two cities.
7 that is, togidere eiyte and fourti, with her surburbabis.
All the cities which ye shall [thus] give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities, they with their open spaces.
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 the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the tribe that hath many shall ye give many; but from the one that hath few shall ye give few: every one according to its inheritance which it may inherit shall give of its cities unto the Levites.
9 The Lord seide to Moises,
And the Lord spoke unto 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 unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye have passed over the 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 ye shall appoint unto yourselves proper cities, that they be cities of refuge for you; and thither shall flee the manslayer who killeth any person at unawares.
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 these cities shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he have stood before the congregation for trial.
13 Forsothe of tho citees that ben departid to the helpis of fugityues,
And the cities which ye shall give, shall be six cities of refuge unto you;
14 thre schulen be ouer Jordan, and thre in the lond of Canaan;
Three of these cities shall ye give on this side of the Jordan, and the three other cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan: cities of refuge shall they be.
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 stranger, and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for a refuge: that every one may flee thither that killeth any person at unawares.
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 have smitten him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely 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 have smitten him with a stone which one can take in the hand, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely 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 have smitten him with an article of wood, which one can take in the hand, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely 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 the blood himself shall slay the murderer; when he meeteth him, shall he slay him.
20 If bi haterede a man hurtlith, `ethir schoufith, `a man, ethir castith ony thing in to hym bi aspiyngis,
And if he push against him out of hatred, or he have hurled at him [any thing] by lying in wait, that he 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 in enmity he have smitten him with his hand, that he died, he that smote him shall surely be put to death; [for] he is a murderer: the avenger of the blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth with him.
22 That if bi sudeyn caas, and without hatrede and enemytees,
But if he have pushed against him accidentally without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without lying in wait,
23 he doith ony thing of these;
Or with any stone wherewith a man may die, without seeing him, and he have let it fall upon him that he died; whereas he was not his enemy, and did not seek his harm:
24 and this is preued in heryng `of the puple, and the questioun of blood is discussid bitwixe the smytere and the kynesman,
Then shall the congregation judge between the slayer and the avenger of the blood according to these institutions;
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 deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of the blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled; and he shall abide in it until the death of the high-priest, who hath been 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 manslayer should at any time pass the boundary of the city of his refuge, whither he may have fled;
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 the blood should find him beyond the boundary of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of the blood should kill the manslayer: he shall not be guilty of 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 in the city of his refuge shall be remain until the death of the high-priest; but after the death of the high-priest the manslayer may return unto the land of his possession.
29 These schulen be euerlastynge and lawful thingis in alle youre dwellyngis.
And these things shall be unto you for a statute of justice 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 it be that killeth a person, according to the testimony of witnesses shall the murderer be put to death; but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
31 Ye schulen not take prijs of him which is gilti of blood, anoon and he schal die.
Moreover ye shall take no redemption money for the person of a murderer, who is guilty of death; but he shall surely 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 ye shall take no redemption money 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 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.
And ye shall not defile the land wherein ye are; for the blood it is which defileth the land: and no atonement can be made unto the land for the blood which hath been shed therein, except through the blood of him that hath 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 ye shall not render unclean the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.