Numbers 35
Modern English Version
The Levites’ Cities(A)
35 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying: 2 Command the children of Israel, and they will give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in, and you will give the Levites pasturelands around the city. 3 The cities will be for them to dwell in, and their pasturelands will be for their livestock, and for their property, and for all their animals.
4 The pasturelands of the cities, which you will give to the Levites, will reach from the wall of the city and beyond one thousand cubits[a] all around. 5 You will measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits,[b] and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, and the city will be in the middle. This will be for them the pasturelands of the cities.
Cities of Refuge
6 Among the cities which you will give to the Levites there will be six cities of refuge, which you will appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee there, and to them you will add forty-two cities. 7 So all the cities which you will give to the Levites will be forty-eight cities. You will give them with their pasturelands. 8 The cities which you shall give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel. From the larger tribes you shall give many, and from the smaller tribes you shall give few. Each tribe, in proportion to the inheritance that it receives, shall give of its cities to the Levites.
9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 10 Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you are crossing over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall designate cities as your cities of refuge, so that a manslayer who unintentionally kills a person may flee there. 12 The cities will be for you a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer does not die until he stands trial before the assembly. 13 The cities which you designate shall be your six cities of refuge. 14 You will give three cities across the Jordan, and three cities you will give in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. 15 For the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the foreign sojourner among them will be six cities. These will be for a refuge. Everyone that unintentionally kills any person may flee there.
16 If he strikes him with an instrument of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 If he strikes him with a stone in hand, by which he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he strikes him with a weapon of wood in hand, by which he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood himself will slay the murderer. When he meets him, he will slay him. 20 But if he pushed him out of hatred, or threw something at him, lying in wait, so he dies, 21 or in hatred struck him with his hand, so he died, he that struck him shall surely be put to death, because he is a murderer. The avenger of blood will slay the murderer when he meets him.
22 But if he pushed him suddenly without hatred, or threw anything at him without lying in wait, 23 or used a stone that may cause death, unintentionally throwing it at him, resulting in death, though they were not enemies, and was not trying to harm him, 24 then the assembly will judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. 25 And the assembly will deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the assembly will restore him to the city of his refuge where he fled, and he will dwell in it until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the manslayer will go out at any time beyond the border of the city of his refuge where he fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood, 28 because the manslayer should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
29 So these things will be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
30 Whoever kills a person, the murderer will be put to death by the testimony of witnesses, but one witness will not testify against a person for death.
31 And you will not take a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he will surely be put to death.
32 You will not take a ransom for him who fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come out again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
33 So you will not defile the land which you are in, because blood defiles the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him that shed it. 34 So do not defile the land which you are dwelling in, where I am residing, because I the Lord am residing among the children of Israel.
Footnotes
- Numbers 35:4 About 1,500 feet, or 450 meters.
- Numbers 35:5 About 3,000 feet, or 900 meters.
Numbers 35
American Standard Version
35 And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and [a]suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites. 3 And 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. 4 And 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. 5 And 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. 6 And 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. 7 All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities; them shall ye give with their suburbs. 8 And 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.
9 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person [b]unwittingly may flee thither. 12 And the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment. 13 And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge. 14 Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge. 15 For 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 [c]unwittingly may flee thither.
16 But 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. 17 And 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. 18 Or 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. 19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. 20 And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died, 21 or 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.
22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without lying in wait, 23 or 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; 24 then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; 25 and 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. 26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth, 27 and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; [d]he shall not be guilty of blood, 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 manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.
29 And these things shall be for a [e]statute and ordinance unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoso 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. 31 Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death. 32 And 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. 33 So 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. 34 And 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.
Footnotes
- Numbers 35:2 Or, pasture lands
- Numbers 35:11 Or, through error
- Numbers 35:15 Or, through error
- Numbers 35:27 Or, there shall be no blood-guiltiness for him
- Numbers 35:29 Hebrew statute of judgment.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
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