Numbers 35

Revised Geneva Translation

35 And the LORD spoke to Moses on the plain of Moab, by Jordan, toward Jericho, saying,

² “Command the children of Israel, that they give to the Levites cities in which to dwell from the inheritance of their possession. You shall also give to the Levites the suburbs surrounding the cities.

³ “So they shall have the cities 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 you shall give to the Levites shall surround them for a thousand cubits outward from the walls of the cities.

⁵ “You shall measure two thousand cubits outside the city on the east side, two thousand cubits on the south side, two thousand cubits on the west side, and two thousand cubits on the north side. And the city shall be in the center. This shall be the measure of the suburbs of their cities.

⁶ “And of the cities which you shall give to the Levites, there shall be six cities for refuge which you shall appoint, to which he who kills may flee. And to them you shall add forty-two more cities.

⁷ “All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, along with their suburbs.

⁸ “And concerning the cities which you shall give from the possessions of the children of Israel: from many you shall take more, and from few you shall take less. Everyone shall give to the Levites from his cities, 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 have come over Jordan, into the land of Canaan,

¹¹ ‘you shall appoint yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, so that the killer who kills any person accidentally may flee there.

¹² ‘And these cities shall be for you a refuge from your avenger, so that he who kills does not die until he stand before the Congregation in judgment.

¹³ ‘And of the cities which you shall give, six cities shall you have for refuge.

¹⁴ ‘You shall appoint three on this side of Jordan. And you shall appoint three cities in the land of Canaan which shall be cities of refuge.

¹⁵ ‘These six cities shall be a refuge for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for he who dwells among you, so that everyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there.

¹⁶ ‘If one strikes another with an instrument of iron so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall die the death.

¹⁷ ‘Also, if he strikes him by casting a stone with which he may be killed, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall die the death.

¹⁸ ‘Or, if he strikes him with a hand weapon of wood with which he may be killed, if he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall die the death.

¹⁹ ‘The avenger of the blood himself shall kill the murderer. When he meets him, he shall kill him.

²⁰ ‘But if he stabs him out of hate, or ambushes him by lying in wait, so that he dies,

²¹ ‘or strikes him through enmity with his hand, so that he dies, he who struck him shall die the death. He is a murderer. The avenger of the blood shall kill the murderer when he meets him.

²² ‘But, if he pushed him accidentally (and not out of hatred) or cast upon him anything without lying in wait,

²³ ‘or any stone whereby he might be killed (and he did not see him) or caused it to fall upon him, and he dies (and he was not his enemy nor did he seek him any harm),

²⁴ ‘then the Congregation shall judge between the killer and the avenger of blood, according to these Laws.

²⁵ ‘And the Congregation shall deliver the killer out of the hand of the avenger of blood. And the Congregation shall return him to the city of his refuge from which he fled. And he shall stay there until the death of the High Priest, who is anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ ‘But, if the killer comes outside the borders of the city of his refuge, to which 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 murderer, he shall be guiltless,

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 killer shall return to the land of his possession.

²⁹ ‘So these things shall be a Law of Judgment to you, throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.

³⁰ ‘Whoever kills any person shall be killed through witnesses. But one witness’s testimony against a person shall not cause him to die.

³¹ ‘Moreover, you shall take no ransom for the life of the murderer who is worthy to die. But he shall be put to death.

³² ‘Also, you shall take no ransom for he who has fled to the city of his refuge, so that he should return and dwell in the land before the death of the High Priest.

³³ ‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you shall dwell. For blood defiles the land. And the land can only be cleansed of the blood that is shed upon it but by the blood of he who shed it.

³⁴ ‘Therefore, do not defile the land which you shall inhabit. For I dwell in its midst. For I, the LORD, dwell among the children of Israel.’”