Numbers 33:40-35:34
New American Standard Bible
40 Now the Canaanite, the king of (A)Arad [a]who lived in the [b]Negev in the land of Canaan, heard about the coming of the sons of Israel.
41 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They journeyed from Punon and camped at (B)Oboth. 44 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab. 45 They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of (C)Abarim, before Nebo. 48 They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and (D)camped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as (E)Abel-shittim, in the plains of Moab.
Law for Possessing the Land
50 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(F)When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from you, and (G)destroy all their idolatrous sculptures, destroy all their cast metal images, and eliminate all their high places; 53 (H)and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 (I)You shall maintain the land as an inheritance by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall pass on land as an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from you, then it will come about that those whom you let remain of them will be (J)like thorns in your eyes and like pricks in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56 And just as I plan to do to them, I will do to you.’”
Instruction for Apportioning Canaan
34 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter (K)the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, that is, the land of Canaan according to its borders. 3 (L)Your southern region shall [c]extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall [d]extend from the end of the Salt Sea (M)eastward. 4 Then your border shall change direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and [e]continue to Zin, and its [f]termination shall be to the south of (N)Kadesh-barnea; and it shall [g]reach Hazaraddar and [h]continue to Azmon. 5 Then the border shall change direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at (O)the sea.
6 ‘As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its [i]coastline; this shall be your western border.
7 ‘(P)And this shall be your northern border: you shall draw your boundary from the Great Sea to Mount Hor. 8 You shall draw a boundary from Mount Hor to (Q)the [j]Lebo-hamath, and the termination of the border shall be at Zedad; 9 and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and its termination shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.
10 ‘For your eastern border you shall also draw a boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham, 11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to (R)Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of (S)Chinnereth. 12 And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders on all sides.’”
13 So Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying, “(T)This is the land that you are to possess by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes. 14 (U)For the tribe of the sons of Reuben have received theirs according to their fathers’ households, and the tribe of the sons of Gad according to their fathers’ households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession. 15 The two and a half tribes have received their possession across the Jordan opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise.”
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “(V)These are the names of the men who shall assign the land to you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 And you shall take one leader of each tribe to assign the land as an inheritance. 19 These are the names of the men: of the tribe of (W)Judah, (X)Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20 Of the tribe of the sons of (Y)Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud. 21 Of the tribe of (Z)Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22 And of the tribe of the sons of Dan, a leader, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23 Of the sons of Joseph: of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, a leader, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24 Of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, a leader, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25 Of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun, a leader, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26 Of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, a leader, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27 Of the tribe of the sons of Asher, a leader, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28 Of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, a leader, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” 29 These are the ones whom the Lord commanded to apportion the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.
Cities for the Levites
35 (AA)Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. 3 The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their equipment and for all their other animals.
4 “The pasture lands of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city [k]outward a thousand cubits around. 5 You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.
Cities of Refuge
6 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the (AB)six cities of refuge, which you shall provide for the one who commits manslaughter to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7 The total number of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall be (AC)forty-eight cities, [l]together with their pasture lands. 8 (AD)As for the cities which you shall give them from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger, and you shall take fewer from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his inheritance which he possesses.”
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “(AE)Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 (AF)then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your (AG)cities of refuge, so that the one who commits manslaughter by [m]killing a person (AH)unintentionally may flee there. 12 (AI)The cities shall [n]serve you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who commits manslaughter does not die until he stands before the congregation for [o]trial. 13 So the cities which you are to provide shall be six cities of refuge for you. 14 You (AJ)shall provide three cities across the Jordan, and three cities [p]in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be a refuge for the sons of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreign resident among them; so that anyone who [q]kills a person (AK)unintentionally may flee there.
16 ‘(AL)But if he struck him with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. 17 And if he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer (AM)must be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. 19 The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he himself shall put him to death when he meets him. 20 Now (AN)if he pushed him in hatred, or he threw something at him [r](AO)with malicious intent, and as a result he died, 21 or if he struck him with his hand with hostility, and as a result he died, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 ‘(AP)But if he pushed him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without [s]malicious intent, 23 or had any [t]deadly stone, and without looking he dropped it on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor was he seeking [u]to harm him, 24 then (AQ)the congregation shall judge between the one who fatally struck the victim and the blood avenger in accordance with these ordinances. 25 And the congregation shall save the one who committed manslaughter from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall return him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if at any time [v]he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees, 27 and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills [w]him, he [x]will not be guilty of bloodshed, 28 because 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 one who committed manslaughter may return to the land of his property.
29 ‘These things shall be a (AR)statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
30 ‘(AS)If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the [y]testimony of witnesses, but (AT)no person shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 31 Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is [z]condemned to death, but he must be put to death. 32 And you shall not accept a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in the land [aa]before the death of the priest. 33 (AU)So you shall not defile the land in which you live; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except (AV)by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 So you shall not (AW)defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which (AX)I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”
Notas al pie
- Numbers 33:40 Lit and he
- Numbers 33:40 I.e., South country
- Numbers 34:3 Lit be
- Numbers 34:3 Lit be
- Numbers 34:4 Lit pass along
- Numbers 34:4 Lit exits, and so throughout the ch
- Numbers 34:4 Lit go forth to
- Numbers 34:4 Lit pass along
- Numbers 34:6 Lit border
- Numbers 34:8 Or entrance of Hamath
- Numbers 35:4 Lit and outward
- Numbers 35:7 Lit them together with
- Numbers 35:11 Lit fatally striking
- Numbers 35:12 Lit be to you
- Numbers 35:12 Lit judgment
- Numbers 35:14 Lit you shall give in
- Numbers 35:15 Lit strikes
- Numbers 35:20 Lit in pursuit
- Numbers 35:22 Lit pursuit
- Numbers 35:23 Lit stone by which he would die
- Numbers 35:23 Lit his harm
- Numbers 35:26 Lit the one who committed manslaughter
- Numbers 35:27 Lit the one who committed manslaughter
- Numbers 35:27 Lit he has no bloodguilt
- Numbers 35:30 Lit mouth
- Numbers 35:31 Lit guilty
- Numbers 35:32 Or until
Numbers 33:40-35:34
New Living Translation
40 At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.
41 Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 Then they left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.
45 They left Iye-abarim[a] and camped at Dibon-gad.
46 They left Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.
47 They left Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains east of the river,[b] near Mount Nebo.
48 They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 49 Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acacia[c] on the plains of Moab.
50 While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, 51 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy. 54 You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller portion will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the portions of land will be divided among your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. 56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”
Boundaries of the Land
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries. 3 The southern portion of your country will extend from the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea.[d] 4 It will then run south past Scorpion Pass[e] in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon. 5 From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.[f]
6 “Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
7 “Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hor, 8 then to Lebo-hamath, and on through Zedad 9 and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary.
10 “The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-enan and run south to Shepham, 11 then down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee,[g] 12 and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land.”
13 Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The Lord has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes. 14 The families of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their grants of land 15 on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho toward the sunrise.”
Leaders to Divide the Land
16 And the Lord said to Moses, 17 “Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun are the men designated to divide the grants of land among the people. 18 Enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task. 19 These are the tribes and the names of the leaders:
| Tribe | Leader |
|---|---|
| Judah | Caleb son of Jephunneh |
| 20 Simeon | Shemuel son of Ammihud |
| 21 Benjamin | Elidad son of Kislon |
| 22 Dan | Bukki son of Jogli |
| 23 Manasseh son of Joseph | Hanniel son of Ephod |
| 24 Ephraim son of Joseph | Kemuel son of Shiphtan |
| 25 Zebulun | Elizaphan son of Parnach |
| 26 Issachar | Paltiel son of Azzan |
| 27 Asher | Ahihud son of Shelomi |
| 28 Naphtali | Pedahel son of Ammihud |
29 These are the men the Lord has appointed to divide the grants of land in Canaan among the Israelites.”
Towns for the Levites
35 While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands. 3 These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. 4 The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet[h] from the town walls in every direction. 5 Measure off 3,000 feet[i] outside the town walls in every direction—east, south, west, north—with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.
6 “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. 7 In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites. 8 These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”
Cities of Refuge
9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
“When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally. 12 These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community. 13 Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves, 14 three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan. 15 These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.
16 “But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed. 17 Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. 18 Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. 19 The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death. 20 So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder. 21 Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.
22 “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person, 23 or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies. 24 If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative: 25 The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.
26 “But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge, 27 and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder. 28 The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property. 29 These are legal requirements for you to observe from generation to generation, wherever you may live.
30 “All murderers must be put to death, but only if evidence is presented by more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 31 Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death. 32 And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest. 33 This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.[j] 34 You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the Lord, who lives among the people of Israel.”
Notas al pie
- 33:45 As in 33:44; Hebrew reads Iyim, another name for Iye-abarim.
- 33:47 Or the mountains of Abarim; also in 33:48.
- 33:49 Hebrew as far as Abel-shittim.
- 34:3 Hebrew Salt Sea; also in 34:12.
- 34:4 Or the ascent of Akrabbim.
- 34:5 Hebrew the sea; also in 34:6, 7.
- 34:11 Hebrew Sea of Kinnereth.
- 35:4 Hebrew 1,000 cubits [460 meters].
- 35:5 Hebrew 2,000 cubits [920 meters].
- 35:33 Or can make atonement for murder.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
