Numbers 35

¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

²Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites.

³And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

⁴And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.

⁵And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

⁶And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee unto: and besides them ye shall give forty and two cities.

⁷All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities; them shall ye give with their suburbs.

⁸And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites.

⁹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

¹⁰Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹¹then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

¹²And the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment.

¹³And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

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

¹⁵For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that every one that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

¹⁶But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁹The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.

²⁰And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,

²¹or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meeteth him.

²²But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without lying in wait,

²³or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

²⁴then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;

²⁵and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth,

²⁷and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood,

²⁸because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.

²⁹And these things shall be for a statuteandordinance unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

³⁰Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.

³¹Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.

³²And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

³³So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

³⁴And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Jehovah, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.

Numbers 35

¹And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, in the plains 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.

³And the cities have been to them to inhabit, and their suburbs are for their cattle, and for their goods, and for 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.

⁵And 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.

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;

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

⁸And 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.'

⁹And Jehovah speaketh unto 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,

¹¹and have prepared to yourselves citiescities of refuge they are to youthen fled thither hath a man-slayer, smiting a person unawares,

¹²and 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.

¹³`As to the cities which ye givesix are cities of refuge to you;

¹⁴the 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.

¹⁵To 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.

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.

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.

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.

¹⁹`The redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death.

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

²¹or 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.

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

²³or 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;

²⁴then have the company judged between the smiter and the redeemer of blood, by 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.

²⁶`And if the man-slayer at all go out from the border of the city of his refuge whither he fleeth,

²⁷and 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;

²⁸for 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.

²⁹`And these things have been to you for a statute of judgment to your generations, in all your dwellings:

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

³¹`And ye take no atonement for the life of a murderer who is condemnedto die, for he is certainly put to death;

³²and 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.

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;

³⁴and 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.'