1 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and you shall give also to the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.
3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4 And the suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5 And you shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, 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 shall be in the middle: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6 And among the cities which you shall give to the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which you shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them you shall add forty and two cities.
7 So all the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall you give with their suburbs.
8 And the cities which you shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many you shall give many; but from them that have few you shall give few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inherits.
9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When you be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
11 Then you shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which kills any person at unawares.
12 And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
13 And of these cities which you shall give six cities shall you have for refuge.
14 You shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall you give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that kills any person unawares may flee thither.
16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, with which he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meets him, he shall slay him.
20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meets him.
22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast on him any thing without laying of wait,
23 Or with any stone, with which a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it on him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, where he was fled: and he shall abide in it to the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, where he was fled;
27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:
28 Because he 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 slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
31 Moreover you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And you shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
33 So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are: for blood it defiles the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
34 Defile not therefore the land which you shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying:
2 Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possessions, and you shall also give the Levites 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 shall 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 be to them as common land for the cities.
6 And among the cities which you shall give to the Levites you shall appoint 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 shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common lands.
8 And the cities which you shall give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel; 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, according to the inheritance that each receives.
9 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11 then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any soul accidentally may flee there.
12 They shall be cities of refuge for you from the kinsman avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.
13 And out of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge.
14 You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a soul accidentally may flee there.
16 But if he strikes him with an implement of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be executed to death.
17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be executed to death.
18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden implement in the hand, by which one could die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be executed to death.
19 The kinsman avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20 If he pushes him out of hatred, or while lying in wait has thrown something at him, so that he dies,
21 or in enmity he has struck him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall be executed to death. He is a murderer. The kinsman avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 However, if he has pushed him suddenly without enmity, or has thrown anything at him without lying in wait,
23 or a stone, by which a man could die, which falls on him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm;
24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the kinsman avenger of blood according to these judgments.
25 Thus the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the kinsman avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the borders of the city of refuge where he fled,
27 and the kinsman avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of his city of refuge, and the kinsman avenger of blood kills the manslayer, 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 to the land of his possession.
29 And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 Whoever kills a soul, the murderer shall be put to death at the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against a soul for him to die.
31 Moreover you shall take no ransom for the soul of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be executed to death.
32 And you shall take no ransom for him to flee to his city of refuge, to return to dwell in the land until the death of the priest.
33 Thus you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood pollutes the land. And no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who sheds it.
34 Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I, Jehovah, dwell among the children of Israel.