Liber Numeri 35

1 haec quoque locutus est Dominus ad Mosen in campestribus Moab super Iordanem contra Hiericho

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

2 praecipe filiis Israhel 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 milia erunt cubiti et contra meridiem similiter duo milia ad mare quoque quod respicit 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 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 Israhel 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 Mosen

Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

10 loquere filiis Israhel 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 eum non poterit 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 Israhel 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 adprehenderit eum percutiet

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 inpulerit 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 fortuito et absque odio

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

23 et inimicitiis quicquam 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 conprobatum 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 Israhel

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.