Liber Numeri 35
1 Haec quoque locutus est Dominus ad Moysen in campestribus Moab supra Iordanem, contra Iericho:
Yahweh told this to Moses/me [while the Israeli people were] on the plain in the Moab region near the Jordan [River], across from Jericho:
2 Praecipe filiis Israel ut dent Levitis de possessionibus suis
“Tell the Israeli people that from the land that they will receive, they must give to the descendants of Levi some cities in which they can live. They must also give them some land around these cities.
3 urbes ad habitandum, et suburbana earum per circuitum: ut ipsi in oppidis maneant, et suburbana sint pecoribus ac iumentis:
Those will be for the descendants of Levi to live in, and around the cities will be land for their cattle and flocks of sheep and goats and other animals.
4 quae a muris civitatum forinsecus, per circuitum, mille passuum spatio tendentur.
“The land that you give them for their animals must extend out for (1,500 feet/450 meters) from the walls of the cities.
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.
Also measure (3,000 feet/900 meters) in each direction out from the walls of each city. That additional land will be land for their animals outside the walls 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,
“Six of the cities that you give to the descendants of Levi will be cities to which people [can run] to be safe. If someone [accidentally] kills someone else, the one who killed that person may run to one of those cities to be safe.
7 id est, simul quadraginta octo cum suburbanis suis.
You must also give to the descendants of Levi 42 other cities and the land around those cities, for their animals,
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.
The Israeli tribes that have the most people must give them more cities than the tribes that have fewer people give. Each tribe must give some of its cities to the descendants of Levi, but the tribes that have more land must give more cities, and the tribes that have less land will give fewer cities.”
9 Ait Dominus ad Moysen:
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
10 Loquere filiis Israel, et dices ad eos: Quando transgressi fueritis Iordanem in Terram Chanaan,
“Tell this to the Israeli people: When you cross the Jordan [River] and enter the Canaan [region],
11 decernite quae urbes esse debeant in praesidia fugitivorum, qui nolentes sanguinem fuderint:
you must choose some cities to which people can run to be safe/protected. If someone kills another person (accidentally/without planning to do that), the one who killed that person may run to one of those cities and be safe.
12 in quibus cum fuerit profugus, cognatus occisi non poterit eum occidere, donec stet in conspectu multitudinis, et causa illius iudicetur.
One of the relatives of the person who was killed may think he must avenge his relative’s death [by killing the murderer]. But in that city, the killer will be safe [because the people in that city would kill those relatives if they tried to get revenge there]. The man who killed someone accidentally [must] be put on trial in a court.
13 De ipsis autem urbibus, quae ad fugitivorum subsidia separantur,
You must set apart six cities to be cities to which someone who killed another person accidentally may run and be safe.
14 tres erunt trans Iordanem, et tres in Terra Chanaan,
There must be three of those cities on the east side of the Jordan [River] and three that will be [on the west side], in the Canaan region.
15 tam filiis Israel quam advenis atque peregrinis, ut confugiat ad eas qui nolens sanguinem fuderit.
Those six cities will be cities where Israeli people may run to and be safe, and where foreigners and other people who are living among you can also run to and be safe. Any of those people who accidentally kills someone may run to one of those cities [and be safe/protected there].
16 Si quis ferro percusserit, et mortuus fuerit qui percussus est: reus erit homicidii, et ipse morietur.
“But [you must consider that] anyone who kills another person with an iron weapon or with a big rock or with a piece of wood, is a murderer, and the one who killed the other person must be executed.
17 Si lapidem iecerit, et ictus occubuerit: similiter punietur.
18 Si ligno percussus interierit: percussoris sanguine vindicabitur.
19 Propinquus occisi, homicidam interficiet, statim ut apprehenderit eum.
A relative of the person who was murdered must be the one who executes the murderer as soon as he finds him.
20 Si per odium quis hominem impulerit, vel iecerit quippiam in eum per insidias:
If someone shoves another person [over a cliff] or throws something at another person
21 aut cum esset inimicus, manu percusserit, et ille mortuus fuerit: percussor, homicidii reus erit. cognatus occisi statim ut invenerit eum, iugulabit.
or hits that person with his hand/fist and causes that person to die, if he did it because he hated that person, then you must consider that he is a murderer, and must be executed. A relative of the person who was killed must be the one who executes the murderer as soon as he finds him.
22 Quod si fortuitu, et absque odio,
“But someone might accidentally shove someone else, or accidentally throw something at another person and hit him, not because he hates that person.
23 et inimicitiis quidquam horum fecerit,
Or he might drop a rock on someone that he did not see. If the one who does that does not plan to hurt anyone and does not hate the person that was killed,
24 et hoc audiente populo fuerit comprobatum, atque inter percussorem et propinquum sanguinis quaestio ventilata:
the people of that city must decide whether the relative of the dead person [has the right to get revenge], or whether the one who killed the other person [truly did it (accidentally/without planning to do it)].
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.
[If they decide that the killer planned to kill the other person, they must not allow him to stay in their city. But if they decide that it was done accidentally], they must protect the killer from being killed by the dead person’s relative. They must send the killer to one of the cities where he will be safe/protected, and allow him to stay there until the Supreme Priest dies. [After that, the killer may go back to his home, because the dead person’s relative no longer has the right to get revenge].
26 Si interfector extra fines urbium, quae exulibus deputatae sunt,
“But [while the Supreme Priest is still living], the person who is in that safe city must not leave that city.
27 fuerit inventus, et percussus ab eo qui ultor est sanguinis: absque noxa erit qui eum occiderit.
If he goes outside the city, and if a relative of the dead person finds him, that relative is permitted to kill that person, [and people will not consider that the relative is guilty of murder.]
28 debuerat enim profugus usque ad mortem Pontificis in urbe residere. postquam autem ille obierit, homicida revertetur in terram suam.
The killer must stay in that city where he will be safe/protected until the Supreme Priest dies. [He will be safe from revenge after that, because the death of the Supreme Priest will be considered to be a sacrifice to atone for that murder]. After that, the killer may return to his home.
29 Haec sempiterna erunt, et legitima in cunctis habitationibus vestris.
“You must always obey those regulations, wherever you live.
30 Homicida sub testibus punietur: ad unius testimonium nullus condemnabitur.
“If someone [is accused of] killing another person, the one who is accused may be executed only if there are people who saw him do it. There must be more than one witness; no one is permitted to be executed if there was only one (witness/person who saw him do it).
31 Non accipietis pretium ab eo, qui reus est sanguinis, statim et ipse morietur.
“If there is a murderer who truly should be executed, do not [spare his life by] accepting (a ransom/money for him not to be killed). He must be executed.
32 Exules et profugi ante mortem Pontificis nullo modo in urbes suas reverti poterunt:
“If someone has run to a city where he will be safe/protected, do not allow him to give you money in order that you will permit him to return to his home before the Supreme Priest dies.
33 ne polluatis terram habitationis vestrae, quae insontium cruore maculatur: nec aliter expiari potest, nisi per eius sanguinem, qui alterius sanguinem fuderit.
“You must execute people who truly murder others. If you did not do that, you would be causing the people who live in the land to become unacceptable to me. Anyone who deliberately kills an innocent person must be executed.
34 Atque ita emundabitur vestra possessio, me commorante vobiscum. ego enim sum Dominus qui habito inter filios Israel.
I am Yahweh, and I live among you Israelis, so do not spoil/pollute the land by allowing people to murder others without being punished.”
