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35 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites. They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

“The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits[a] around it. You shall measure outside of 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 middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.

“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities. All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands. Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites.”

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Footnotes

  1. 35:4 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

Cities for the Levites

35 The Lord again spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:(A) “Command the Israelites to give cities out of their hereditary property for the Levites to live in and pastureland around the cities.(B) The cities will be for them to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their herds, flocks, and all their other animals. The pasturelands of the cities you are to give the Levites will extend from the city wall five hundred yards[a] on every side. Measure a thousand yards[b] outside the city for the east side, a thousand yards for the south side, a thousand yards for the west side, and a thousand yards for the north side, with the city in the center. This will belong to them as pasturelands for the cities.

“The cities you give the Levites will include six cities of refuge,(C) which you will provide so that the one who kills someone may flee there; in addition to these, give forty-two other cities.(D) The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, along with their pasturelands.(E) Of the cities that you give from the Israelites’ territory, you should take more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.(F) Each tribe is to give some of its cities to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance it receives.”

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Footnotes

  1. 35:4 Lit 1,000 cubits
  2. 35:5 Lit 2,000 cubits