Numbers 35

¹And the Lord also spoke these things to Moses in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho:

²“Instruct the sons of Israel, so that they may give to the Levites, from their possessions,

³cities as dwelling places, with their surrounding suburbs, so that they may lodge in the towns, and so that the suburbs may be for cattle and beasts of burden.

⁴The suburbs shall extend from the outer walls of the cities, all around, for the space of one thousand steps.

⁵Facing the east, there shall be two thousand cubits, and facing the south, similarly, there shall be two thousand cubits. Toward the sea, also, which looks out toward the west, there shall be the same measure, and the northern region shall be bounded by equal limits. And the cities shall be in the center, and the suburbs shall be outside.

⁶Now, from the towns which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for the assistance of fugitives, so that he who has shed blood may flee to them. And, aside from these, there shall be forty-two other towns,

⁷that is, all together forty-eight with their suburbs.

⁸And concerning these cities, which shall be given from the possessions of the sons of Israel: from those who have more, more shall be taken, and from those who have less, less shall be taken. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the measure of their inheritance.”

⁹The Lord said to Moses:

¹⁰“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹¹discern which cities ought to be for the protection of fugitives who have shed blood unwillingly.

¹²And when a fugitive is in these, the kinsman of the deceased shall not be able to kill him, until he stands in the sight of the multitude and his case is judged.

¹³Then, among those cities which are separated for relief to fugitives,

¹⁴three shall be across the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan,

¹⁵as much for the sons of Israel as for newcomers and sojourners, so that anyone who has shed blood unwillingly may flee to these places.

¹⁶If anyone will have struck someone with iron, and he who was struck will have died, then he shall be guilty of homicide, and he himself shall die.

¹⁷If he will have thrown a stone, and he who has been struck lies dead, then he shall be punished similarly.

¹⁸If he who has been struck with wood passes away, he shall be avenged by the blood of the one who struck him.

¹⁹The close relative of the deceased shall put to death the murderer; as soon as he apprehends him, he shall put him to death.

²⁰If, out of hatred, anyone assaults a man, or throws anything at him with ill intent,

²¹or, while being his enemy, strikes him with his hand, and so he has died, the attacker shall be guilty of murder. The kinsman of the deceased, as soon as he finds him, shall cut his throat.

²²But if by chance, and without hatred

²³or animosity, he will have done any of these things,

²⁴and this has been proven in the hearing of the people, and the questions have been aired, between the one who struck and the close relative,

²⁵then the innocent one shall be freed from the hand of the revenger, and he shall be returned by this judgment into the city to which he had fled, and he shall stay there until the high priest, who has been anointed with the holy oil, dies.

²⁶If the one who has killed has been found beyond the limits of the cities which have been assigned to the exiled,

²⁷and he has been struck by him who is avenging blood, he who killed him shall not be harmed.

²⁸For the fugitive ought to have resided in the city, until the death of the high priest. Then, after he is dead, the one who has killed shall be returned to his own land.

²⁹These things shall be a perpetual ordinance in all your habitations.

³⁰The punishment of a murderer shall be based upon testimony; but no one shall be condemned upon the testimony of only one person.

³¹You shall not accept money from him who is guilty of blood, and he shall be put to death promptly.

³²Exiles and fugitives, prior to the death of the high priest, are by no means able to be returned to their own cities.

³³Do not pollute the land of your habitation, so as to stain it with the blood of the innocent; neither is it able to be expiated in any way other than by the blood of him who has shed the blood of another.

³⁴And so shall your possession be cleansed, while I myself am abiding with you. For I am the Lord, who lives among the sons of Israel.”

Numbers 35

¹And the Lord spoke these things also to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, over against Jericho:

²Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites out of their possessions,

³Cities to dwell in, and their suburbs round about: that they may abide in the towns, and the suburbs may be for them cattle and beasts:

⁴Which suburbs shall reach from the walls of the cities outward, a thousand paces on every side:

⁵Toward the east shall be two thousand cubits: and toward the south in like manner shall be two thousand cubits: toward the sea also, which looketh to the west, shall be the same extent: and the north side shall be bounded with the like limits. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs without.

⁶And among the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for refuge to fugitives, that he who hath shed blood may flee to them: and besides these there shall be other forty-two cities,

⁷That is, in all forty-eight with their suburbs.

⁸And of these cities which shall be given out of the possessions of the children of Israel, from them that have more, more shall be taken: and from them that have less, fewer. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the extent of their inheritance.

⁹The Lord said to Moses:

¹⁰Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When you shall have passed over the Jordan into the land of Chanaan,

¹¹Determine what cities shall be for the refuge of fugitives, who have shed blood against their will.

¹²And when the fugitive shall be in them, the kinsman of him that is slain may not have power to kill him, until he stand before the multitude, and his cause be judged.

¹³And of those cities, that are separated for the refuge of fugitives,

¹⁴Three shall be beyond the Jordan, and three in the land of Chanaan,

¹⁵As well for the children of Israel as for strangers and sojourners, that he may flee to them, who hath shed blood against his will.

¹⁶If any man strike with iron, and he die that was struck: he shall be guilty of murder, and he himself shall die.

¹⁷If he throw a stone, and he that is struck die: he shall be punished in the same manner.

¹⁸If he that is struck with wood die: he shall be revenged by the blood of him that struck him.

¹⁹The kinsman of him that was slain, shall kill the murderer: as soon as he apprehendeth him, he shall kill him.

²⁰If through hatred any one push a man, or fling any thing at him with ill design:

²¹Or being his enemy, strike him with his hand, and he die: the striker shall be guilty of murder: the kinsman of him that was slain as soon as he findeth him, shall kill him.

²²But if by chance medley, and without hatred,

²³And enmity, he do any of these things,

²⁴And this be proved in the hearing of the people, and the cause be debated between him that struck, and the next of kin:

²⁵The innocent shall be delivered from the hand of the revenger, and shall be brought back by sentence into the city, to which he had fled, and he shall abide there until the death of the high priest, that is anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶If the murderer be found without the limits of the cities that are appointed for the banished,

²⁷And be struck by him that is the avenger of blood: he shall not be guilty that killed him.

²⁸For the fugitive ought to have stayed in the city until the death of the high priest: and after he is dead, then shall the manslayer return to his own country.

²⁹These things shall be perpetual, and for an ordinance in all your dwellings.

³⁰The murderer shall be punished by witnesses: none shall be condemned upon the evidence of one man.

³¹You shall not take money of him that is guilty of blood, but he shall die forthwith.

³²The banished and fugitives before the death of the high priest may by no means return into their own cities.

³³Defile not the land of your habitation, which is stained with the blood of the innocent: neither can it otherwise be expiated, but by his blood that hath shed the blood of another.

³⁴And thus shall your possession be cleansed, myself abiding with you. For I am the Lord that dwell among the children of Israel.