Numbers 35

Modern

Literal

Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites

¹Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

¹And YHWH spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho, saying,

²“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

²“Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and pastureland around the cities you shall give the Levites.

³The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

³And the cities shall be for them to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle, and for their herds, and for all their animals.

⁴The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits^a from the wall on every side.

⁴And the pasturelands of the cities that you shall give the Levites is from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits all around.

⁵You are also to measure two thousand cubits^a outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.

⁵And you shall measure outside of the city on the east side two thousand by the cubit, and on the side of the Negev two thousand by the cubit, and on the west side two thousand by the cubit, and on the north side two thousand by the cubit; and the city is in the middle. This shall be unto them as pasturelands for the cities.

⁶Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

⁶And among the cities that you shall give to the Levites are six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the fleeing there of the manslayer. And to these you shall add forty-two cities.

⁷The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.

⁷And all the cities that you will give to the Levites are forty-eight cities—these and their pasturelands.

⁸The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

⁸And the cities that you give from the possession of the sons of Israel—from the larger you shall give many and from the smaller you shall give few—each in proportion to the inheritance that each receives should be given of its cities to the Levites.”

Six Cities of Refuge

⁹Then the LORD said to Moses,

⁹And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁰“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹⁰“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹¹designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

¹¹you shall appoint for yourselves cities—cities of refuge to be for you, that may flee there the manslayer who kills a person in error.

¹²You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

¹²And they shall be for you cities of refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the face of the congregation for judgment.

¹³The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.

¹³And of the cities that you give, six will be to you cities of refuge.

¹⁴Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

¹⁴Three cities you shall appoint on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan—they are cities of refuge.

¹⁵These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

¹⁵For the sons of Israel and for the sojourner and for the stranger in your midst shall be these six cities for refuge; anyone who kills a soul in error to flee there.

¹⁶If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

¹⁶But if he strikes him with an iron implement and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

¹⁷Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

¹⁷And if with a stone in the hand, with which one could die by it, he strikes him and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

¹⁸If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

¹⁸Or if with a wooden weapon in the hand, with which one could die by it, he strikes him and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

¹⁹The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

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

²⁰Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,

²⁰And if out of hatred he pushes him or hurls something at him while lying in wait, and he dies,

²¹or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

²¹or in enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put to death the murderer when he meets him.

²²But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

²²And if suddenly without enmity he pushes him or throws at him any object without lying in wait,

²³or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

²³or with any stone with which a man could die by it, without seeing him, and throwing it at him so that he dies, and he is not an enemy to him or seeking his harm,

²⁴then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

²⁴then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and between the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

²⁵The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁵And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where there he had fled; and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the oil of holiness.

²⁶But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled

²⁶But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge, where there he fled,

²⁷and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed,

²⁷and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,

²⁸because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.

²⁸because in his city of refuge he should have remained until the death of the high priest. And after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.

²⁹This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

²⁹And these shall be to you a statute of judgment throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

³⁰If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

³⁰Whoever kills a person, on the testimony of witnesses the murderer shall be put to death. And one witness shall not testify against a person to die.

³¹You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

³¹And you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is is condemned to die; for he must surely be put to death.

³²Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

³²And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to the city of his refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

³³Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

³³And you shall not pollute the land that you are in because the blood itself defiles the land; and for the land atonement cannot be made for the blood that is shed on it, except if by the blood of him who shed it.

³⁴Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”

³⁴You shall not defile the land that you are dwelling in, in the midst of which I dwell. For I, YHWH, dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel.”