Numbers 35

1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, [near] Jericho, saying,

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

2 'Command the sons of Israel, and they have given to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to inhabit; also a suburb for the cities round about them ye do give to the Levites.

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 And the cities have been to them to inhabit, and their suburbs are for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

And the cities shall be for them to dwell in, and their enclosures shall be for their cattle and all their beasts.

4 'And the suburbs of the cities which ye give to the Levites [are], from the wall of the city and without, a thousand cubits round about.

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

5 And ye have measured from the outside of the city, the east quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the south quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the west quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the north quarter, two thousand by the cubit; and the city [is] in the midst; this is to them the suburbs of the cities.

And thou shalt 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 'And the cities which ye give to the Levites [are] the six cities of refuge, which ye give for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, and besides them ye give forty and two cities;

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

7 all the cities which ye give to the Levites [are] forty and eight cities, them and their suburbs.

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

8 And the cities which ye give [are] of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye multiply, and from the few ye diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, doth give of his cities to the Levites.'

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

9 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

10 'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye are passing over the Jordan to the land of Canaan,

Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Ye are to cross over Jordan into the land of Chanaan.

11 and have prepared to yourselves cities — cities of refuge they are to you — then fled thither hath a man-slayer, smiting a person unawares,

And ye 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 and the cities have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer, and the man-slayer doth not die till his standing before the company for judgment.

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 judgment.

13 'As to the cities which ye give — six [are] cities of refuge to you;

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

14 the three of the cities ye give beyond the Jordan, and the three of the cities ye give in the land of Canaan; cities of refuge they are.

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

15 To sons of Israel, and to a sojourner, and to a settler in their midst, are these six cities for a refuge, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting a person unawares.

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

16 'And if with an instrument of iron he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.

And if he should smite 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 'And if with a stone [in] the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.

And if he should smite 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 'Or with a wooden instrument [in] the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.

And if he should smite 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 redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death.

The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: whensoever he shall meet him he shall slay him.

20 'And if in hatred he thrust him through, or hath cast [anything] at him by lying in wait, and he dieth;

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

21 or in enmity he hath smitten him with his hand, and he dieth; the smiter is certainly put to death; he [is] a murderer; the redeemer of blood doth put the murderer to death in his coming against him.

or if he have smitten him with his hand through anger, and the man should die, let the man that smote 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 slay the murderer when he meets him.

22 'And if, in an instant, without enmity, he hath thrust him through, or hath cast at him any instrument, without lying in wait;

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

23 or with any stone wherewith he dieth, without seeing, and causeth [it] to fall upon him, and he dieth, and he [is] not his enemy, nor seeking his evil;

or [smite 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 then have the company judged between the smiter and the redeemer of blood, by these judgments.

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

25 'And the company have delivered the man-slayer out of the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the company have caused him to turn back unto the city of his refuge, whither he hath fled, and he hath dwelt in it till the death of the chief priest, who hath been anointed with the holy oil.

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 'And if the man-slayer at all go out [from] the border of the city of his refuge whither he fleeth,

But if the slayer should in any wise go out beyond the bounds of the city whither he fled for refuge,

27 and the redeemer of blood hath found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood hath slain the man-slayer, blood is not for him;

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 in the city of his refuge he doth dwell till the death of the chief priest; and after the death of the chief priest doth the man-slayer turn back unto the city of his possession.

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 'And these things have been to you for a statute of judgment to your generations, in all your dwellings:

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

30 whoso smiteth a person, by the mouth of witnesses doth [one] slay the murderer; and one witness doth not testify against a person — to die.

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

31 'And ye take no atonement for the life of a murderer who [is] condemned — to die, for he is certainly put to death;

And ye shall not accept ransoms for life from a murderer who is worthy of death, for he shall be surely put to death.

32 and ye take no atonement for him to flee unto the city of his refuge, to turn back to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

Ye 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 'And ye profane not the land which ye [are] in, for blood profaneth the land; as to the land, it is not pardoned for blood which is shed in it except by the blood of him who sheddeth it;

So shall ye not pollute with murder the land in which ye 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 ye defile not the land in which ye are dwelling, in the midst of which I do tabernacle, for I Jehovah do tabernacle in the midst of the sons of Israel.'

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