Numbers 35
Contemporary English Version
The Towns for the Levites
35 (A) While the people of Israel were still camped in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, the Lord told Moses 2 to say to them:
When you receive your tribal lands, you must give towns and pastures to the Levi tribe. 3 That way, the Levites will have towns to live in and pastures for their animals. 4-5 The pasture around each of these towns must be in the shape of a square, with the town itself in the center. The pasture is to measure 900 meters on each side, with 450 meters of land outside each of the town walls. This will be the Levites' pastureland.
6 Six of the towns you give them will be Safe Towns where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run for protection. But you will also give the Levites 42 other towns, 7 so they will have a total of 48 towns with their surrounding pastures.
8 Since the towns for the Levites must come from Israel's own tribal lands, the larger tribes will give more towns than the smaller ones.
The Safe Towns
(Deuteronomy 19.1-13; Joshua 20.1-9)
9 (B) The Lord then told Moses 10 to tell the people of Israel:
After you have crossed the Jordan River and are settled in Canaan, 11 choose Safe Towns, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run for protection. 12 If the victim's relatives think it was murder, they might try to take revenge.[a] Anyone accused of murder can run to one of these Safe Towns for protection and not be killed before a trial is held.
13 There are to be six of these Safe Towns, 14 three on each side of the Jordan River. 15 They will be places of protection for anyone who lives in Israel and accidentally kills someone.
Laws about Murder and Accidental Killing
The Lord said:
16-18 Suppose you hit someone with a piece of iron or a large stone or a dangerous wooden tool. If that person dies, then you are a murderer and must be put to death 19 by one of the victim's relatives. He will take revenge[b]for his relative's death as soon as he finds you.
20-21 Or suppose you get angry and kill someone by pushing or hitting or by throwing something. You are a murderer and must be put to death by one of the victim's relatives.
22-24 But if you are not angry and accidentally kill someone in any of these ways, the townspeople must hold a trial and decide if you are guilty. 25 If they decide that you are innocent, you will be protected from the victim's relative and sent to stay in one of the Safe Towns until the high priest dies. 26 But if you ever leave the Safe Town 27 and are killed by the victim's relative, he cannot be punished for killing you. 28 You must stay inside the town until the high priest dies; only then can you go back home.
29 The community of Israel must always obey these laws.
30 (C) Death is the penalty for murder. But no one accused of murder can be put to death unless there are at least two witnesses to the crime. 31 You cannot give someone money to escape the death penalty; you must pay with your own life! 32 And if you have been proven innocent of murder and are living in a Safe Town, you cannot pay to go back home; you must stay there until the high priest dies.
33-34 I, the Lord, live among you people of Israel, so your land must be kept pure. But when a murder takes place, blood pollutes the land, and it becomes unclean. If that happens, the murderer must be put to death, so the land will be clean again. Keep murder out of Israel!
Numbers 35
New King James Version
Cities for the Levites
35 And the Lord spoke to Moses in (A)the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: 2 (B)“Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites (C)common-land around the cities. 3 They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals. 4 The common-land of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. 5 And you shall 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. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land for the cities.
6 “Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint (D)six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities. 7 So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be (E)forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land. 8 And the cities which you will give shall be (F)from the possession of the children of Israel; (G)from the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.”
Cities of Refuge(H)
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (I)‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then (J)you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. 12 (K)They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. 13 And of the cities which you give, you shall have (L)six cities of refuge. 14 (M)You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, (N)for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.
16 (O)‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 (P)The[a] avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 (Q)If he pushes him out of hatred or, (R)while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, 21 or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly (S)without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, 23 or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, 24 then (T)the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. 25 So 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 he had fled, and (U)he shall remain there until the death of the high priest (V)who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of [b]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 may return to the land of his possession.
29 ‘And these things shall be (W)a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the (X)testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. 31 Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32 And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest. 33 So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood (Y)defiles the land, and no [c]atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except (Z)by the blood of him who shed it. 34 Therefore (AA)do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for (AB)I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”
Footnotes
- Numbers 35:19 A family member who is to avenge the victim
- Numbers 35:27 Murder
- Numbers 35:33 Lit. covering
民数记 35
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
利未人的城
35 耶和華在耶利哥對面，約旦河邊的摩押平原，對摩西說： 2 “你要吩咐以色列人，叫他們從所得為業的地中，把一些城給利未人居住，也把這些城周圍的郊區給利未人。 3 這些城要歸他們居住，城的郊區可以牧放他們的牛羊和一切牲畜，也可以存放他們的財物。
4 “你們給利未人的城郊，要從城牆起，周圍向外量四百五十公尺。 5 你們又要從城外，向東面量九百公尺，向南面量九百公尺，向西面量九百公尺，向北面量九百公尺，城在中間；這要歸給他們作城外的郊區。 6 你們分給利未人的城，其中要有六座避難城，讓誤殺人的可以逃到那裡去，此外還要給他們四十二座城。 7 這樣，你們所要給利未人的城，共為四十八座，連城帶城郊都要給他們。 8 從以色列人所得的地業中，你們要把一些城給利未人，人多的就要多給，人少的就要少給；每個支派要照著自己承受的產業，把城分給利未人。”
避難城(A)
9 耶和華對摩西說： 10 “你要吩咐以色列人說：‘你們過約旦河，進到迦南地的時候， 11 就要選擇幾座城，給你們作避難城，讓誤殺人的，就是無心殺死人的，可以逃到那裡。 12 它們可以作你們逃避報仇者的避難城，使誤殺人的不至於死，直到他站在會眾面前受審判。 13 你們指定的城，要給你們作六座避難城。 14 在約旦河東面，你們要分出三座城；在迦南地，你們也要分出三座城，都要作避難城。 15 這六座城要給以色列人和外族人，以及他們中間居住的人作避難城，使無心殺人的人，都可以逃到那裡去。
16 “‘如果人用鐵器打人，以致把人打死，他就是故意殺人的；故意殺人的必被處死。 17 如果人手裡拿著可以打死人的石頭打人，以致把人打死，他就是故意殺人的；故意殺人的必被處死。 18 如果人手裡拿著可以打死人的木器打人，以致把人打死，他就是故意殺人的；故意殺人的必被處死。 19 報血仇的，要親自把那故意殺人的殺死；一遇見他，就可以殺死他。 20 如果人因懷恨把人推倒，或是埋伏著向人扔東西，以致把人打死； 21 或者因仇恨用手打人，以致把人打死；那打人的，必被處死，因為他是故意殺人的；報血仇的一遇見兇手，就可以殺死他。
22 “‘但是，如果人沒有仇恨，忽然把人推倒，或是無意向人投擲甚麼器皿， 23 或是因為沒有看見，用任何可以打死人的石頭，扔在人身上，以致把人打死，他本來與他無仇，也無意害他； 24 這樣，會眾就要照著典章，在打死人的和報血仇的人中間施行裁判。 25 會眾要把誤殺人的，從報血仇的人手中救出來；把他送回他所逃到的避難城去，他要住在那裡，直到受聖膏的大祭司死了。 26 但誤殺人的，若是出了他逃進的避難城的境界， 27 報血仇的在避難城境外遇著他，把他殺了，報血仇的就沒有犯流人血的罪。 28 因為那誤殺人的應該住在避難城中，直到大祭司死了；大祭司死了以後，那誤殺人的才可以回到他自己地業去。
29 “‘這在你們一切居住的地方，要作你們世世代代的律例典章。 30 殺人的，要憑著幾個見證人的口供，才可以把他處死；如果只有一個見證人，就不能指證把人處死。 31 犯了死罪，故意殺人的，你們不可收取贖價代他贖命，因為他必被處死。 32 逃到避難城的人，你們也不可收取他的贖價，使他在大祭司未死以前回到本地居住。 33 這樣，你們就沒有玷污你們所在之地，因為血能玷污地；在地上如果有流人血的，除非流那故意殺人者的血，那地的血就不能得贖。 34 你們不可玷污你所住的地，就是我居住的地，因為我耶和華是居住在以色列人中間的。’”
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
