Liber Numeri 35

1 Haec quoque locutus est Dominus ad Moysen in campestribus Moab supra Iordanem, contra Iericho:

And Yahweh spake unto Moses in the waste plains of Moab, —by Jordan, near Jericho, saying:

2 Praecipe filiis Israel ut dent Levitis de possessionibus suis

Command the sons of Israel, that they give unto the Levites—out of the inheritance which they possess—cities to dwell in, —pasture land also unto the cities, round about them, shall ye give unto the Levites.

3 urbes ad habitandum, et suburbana earum per circuitum: ut ipsi in oppidis maneant, et suburbana sint pecoribus ac iumentis:

So shall the cities be theirs, to dwell in, —and their pasture lands, shall, be for their cattle and for their goods and for all their beasts.

4 quae a muris civitatum forinsecus, per circuitum, mille passuum spatio tendentur.

And, the pasture lands of the cities which ye shall give unto the Levite, shall be, —from the wall of the city, and outwards, a thousand cubits round about

5 contra Orientem duo millia erunt cubiti, et contra Meridiem similiter erunt duo millia: ad mare quoque, quod respicit ad Occidentem, eadem mensura erit, et septentrionalis plaga aequali termino finietur. eruntque urbes in medio, et foris suburbana.

So ye shall measure—on the outside of the city—the eastward 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, with, the city, in the midst. This, shall be unto them the pasture lands of the cities,

6 De ipsis autem oppidis, quae Levitis dabitis, sex erunt in fugitivorum auxilia separata, ut fugiat ad ea qui fuderit sanguinem: et exceptis his, alia quadraginta duo oppida,

And, among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give that the manslayer may flee thither, —and besides them, ye shall give, forty-two cities,

7 id est, simul quadraginta octo cum suburbanis suis.

All the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be forty-eight cities, —them, and their pasture lands,

8 Ipsaeque urbes, quae dabuntur de possessionibus filiorum Israel, ab his, qui plus habent, plures auferentur: et qui minus, pauciores. singuli iuxta mensuram hereditatis suae dabunt oppida Levitis.

And as touching the cities which ye shall give out of the possession of the sons of Israel from the many, shall ye take many, and from the few, shall ye take few, —each, according to his inheritance, which they shall inherit, shall give of his cities unto the Levites.

9 Ait Dominus ad Moysen:

Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

10 Loquere filiis Israel, et dices ad eos: Quando transgressi fueritis Iordanem in Terram Chanaan,

Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say unto them, —When ye are passing over the Jordan unto the land of Canaan,

11 decernite quae urbes esse debeant in praesidia fugitivorum, qui nolentes sanguinem fuderint:

then shall ye find for you, convenient cities, cities of refuge, shall they be unto you, —and the manslayer, who hath slain a person, by mistake, shall flee thither.

12 in quibus cum fuerit profugus, cognatus occisi non poterit eum occidere, donec stet in conspectu multitudinis, et causa illius iudicetur.

So shall the cities serve you for places of refuge from the redeemer, —that the manslayer may not die, until he has stood before the assembly, for judgment,

13 De ipsis autem urbibus, quae ad fugitivorum subsidia separantur,

And as touching the cities which ye shall give six cities of refuge, shall there be unto you.

14 tres erunt trans Iordanem, et tres in Terra Chanaan,

Three of the cities, shall ye give, on this side the Jordan, and three of the cities, shall ye give in the land of Canaan, —cities of refuge, shall they be.

15 tam filiis Israel quam advenis atque peregrinis, ut confugiat ad eas qui nolens sanguinem fuderit.

For the sons of Israel and for the sojourner. and for the settler in your midst, shall these six cities serve, as places of refuge, —that any one may flee thither who hath slain a person, by mistake.

16 Si quis ferro percusserit, et mortuus fuerit qui percussus est: reus erit homicidii, et ipse morietur.

If, then, with an instrument of iron, he smote him, and he died, a manslayer, he is, —a manslayer, shall surely die.

17 Si lapidem iecerit, et ictus occubuerit: similiter punietur.

Or if with a stone thrown by hand, where-by one might die, he smote him and he died, a manslayer, he is, —the man-slayer, shall surely die,

18 Si ligno percussus interierit: percussoris sanguine vindicabitur.

Or, if with hand-weapon of wood, wherewith one might die, he smote him and he died a manslayer, he is, —the manslayer shall surely die.

19 Propinquus occisi, homicidam interficiet, statim ut apprehenderit eum.

The blood-redeemer, he, shall put to death the man-slayer, —when he lighteth upon him, he, shall put him to death.

20 Si per odium quis hominem impulerit, vel iecerit quippiam in eum per insidias:

Or if with hate, he shall thrust at him, or hurl at him designedly, and he have died,

21 aut cum esset inimicus, manu percusserit, et ille mortuus fuerit: percussor, homicidii reus erit. cognatus occisi statim ut invenerit eum, iugulabit.

or if with enmity, he hath smitten him with his hand and he is dead, then shall he that dealt the blow, be surely put to death. a manslayer, he is—the blood-redeemer shall put to death the man-slayer, when he lighteth upon him.

22 Quod si fortuitu, et absque odio,

But if suddenly, without enmity, he shall thrust him, or hurl upon him any missile, without design;

23 et inimicitiis quidquam horum fecerit,

Or with any stone whereby one might die without seeing him, and it fall upon him, and he dieth; he, not being at enmity with him, nor seeking to harm him,

24 et hoc audiente populo fuerit comprobatum, atque inter percussorem et propinquum sanguinis quaestio ventilata:

then shall the assembly judge, between him that smote and the blood-redeemer, —according to these regulations;

25 liberabitur innocens de ultoris manu, et reducetur per sententiam in urbem, ad quam confugerat, manebitque ibi, donec sacerdos magnus, qui oleo sancto unctus est, moriatur.

and the assembly shall rescue the manslayer out of the hand of the blood-redeemer, and the assembly shall restore him unto his city of refuge whither he had fled, —and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who hath been anointed with the hallowing oil.

26 Si interfector extra fines urbium, quae exulibus deputatae sunt,

But if the man-slayer, go out, of the bounds of his city of refuge, whereinto he hath fled;

27 fuerit inventus, et percussus ab eo qui ultor est sanguinis: absque noxa erit qui eum occiderit.

and the blood-redeemer, find him, outside the bounds of his city of refuge, then may the blood-redeemer slay the slayer, without being guilty of blood;

28 debuerat enim profugus usque ad mortem Pontificis in urbe residere. postquam autem ille obierit, homicida revertetur in terram suam.

for in his city of refuge, should he have remained, until the death of the high priest, —and, after the death of the high priest, might he have returned into the land which he doth possess.

29 Haec sempiterna erunt, et legitima in cunctis habitationibus vestris.

So shall these serve you as a regulative statute unto your generations, —wheresoever ye may dwell.

30 Homicida sub testibus punietur: ad unius testimonium nullus condemnabitur.

Whosoever taketh away life, at the mouth of witnesses, shall, the slayer be slain, —but, one witness, shall not testify against a person, to put him to death.

31 Non accipietis pretium ab eo, qui reus est sanguinis, statim et ipse morietur.

And ye shall accept no ransom for the life of him that slayeth, if he have unlawfully caused death, —but he, must surely be put to death.

32 Exules et profugi ante mortem Pontificis nullo modo in urbes suas reverti poterunt:

And ye shall accept no ransom for him that hath fled to his city of refuge, if he should return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

33 ne polluatis terram habitationis vestrae, quae insontium cruore maculatur: nec aliter expiari potest, nisi per eius sanguinem, qui alterius sanguinem fuderit.

So shall ye not pollute the land wherein ye are, for blood, doth pollute the land, and for the land, no propitiatory-covering can be made, as touching blood, that is shed therein, save with the blood of him that shed it;

34 Atque ita emundabitur vestra possessio, me commorante vobiscum. ego enim sum Dominus qui habito inter filios Israel.

thou must not then make unclean the land wherein, ye, are dwelling, in the midst of which, I, have my habitation; for, I,—Yahweh, am making my habitation in the midst of the sons of Israel.