Numbers 35
35
The Levites’ Cities
Dt 4:41–43; 19:1–14; Jos 20:1–9
1#Nu 22:1And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying: 2#Jos 14:3–4; Eze 48:8Command 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. 3The 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.
4The pasturelands of the cities, which you will give to the Levites, will reach from the wall of the city and beyond one thousand cubits#About 1,500 feet, or 450 meters. all around. 5You will measure from without the city on the east side two thousandcubits,#About 3,000 feet, or 900 meters. and on the south side twothousand cubits,and onthewestsidetwo thousandcubits, 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#Jos 21:3; 21:13Among 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. 7So all the cities which you will give to the Levites will be forty-eight cities. You will give them with their pasturelands. 8#Nu 26:54; 33:54The 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.
9The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 10Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you are crossing over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11#Ex 21:13; Jos 20:2then you shall designate cities as your cities of refuge, so that a manslayer who unintentionally kills a person may flee there. 12#Dt 19:6; Jos 20:3–6The cities will be for you a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer does not die until he stands trial before the assembly. 13The cities which you designate shall be your six cities of refuge. 14You 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#Nu 15:16For 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#Lev 24:17If he strikes him with an instrument of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 17If he strikes him with a stone in hand, by which hecould die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 18Or 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#Nu 35:21; Dt 19:6The avenger of blood himself will slay the murderer. When he meets him, he will slay him. 20#Ex 21:14; Dt 19:11But if he pushed him out of hatred, or threw something at him, lying in wait, so he dies, 21or 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#Ex 21:13; Nu 35:11But if he pushed him suddenly without hatred, or threw anything at him without lying in wait, 23or 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#Jos 20:6; Nu 35:12then the assembly will judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. 25#Ex 29:7; Lev 4:3And 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.
26But if the manslayer will go out at any time beyond the border of the city of his refuge where he fled, 27and 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, 28because 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#Nu 27:11So these things will be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
30#Dt 19:15; Mt 18:16Whoever 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.
31And 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.
32You 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#Mic 4:11; Ge 9:6So 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#Nu 5:3So 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.
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Military Bible Association
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 35
35
1And יהוה spoke to Mosheh in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo, saying,
2“Command the children of Yisra’ĕl that they shall give the Lĕwites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession. Also give the Lĕwites open land around the cities.
3“And they shall have the cities to dwell in, and their open land for their cattle, and for their herds, and for all their livestock.
4“And the open land of the cities which you give the Lĕwites are 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, 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 is in the middle. This is to them the open land for the cities.
6“And the cities which you give to the Lĕwites are the six cities of refuge, which you give to the man-slayer to flee to, and to these you add forty-two cities.
7“All the cities which you give to the Lĕwites are forty-eight, these with their open land.
8And the cities which you give are from the possession of the children of Yisra’ĕl. From the larger tribe you give many, from the smaller you give few, each one gives some of its cities to the Lĕwites, in proportion to the inheritance that each inherits.”
9And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
10“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you pass over the Yardĕn into the land of Kena‛an,
11then you shall choose cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man-slayer who struck someone mistakenly shall flee there.
12And they shall be cities of refuge for you from the revenger, and the man-slayer is not to die until he stands before the congregation for right-ruling.
13And of the cities which you give, six are to be cities of refuge.
14Give three cities beyond the Yardĕn, and give three cities in the land of Kena‛an, as cities of refuge.
15These six cities are for refuge for the children of Yisra’ĕl, and for the sojourner, and for the settler in their midst, for anyone who mistakenly strikes someone to flee there.
16But if he has stricken him with an instrument of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall certainly be put to death.
17And if he has stricken him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall certainly be put to death.
18Or if he has stricken him with a wooden instrument that could kill, and he does die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall certainly be put to death.
19The revenger of blood himself puts the murderer to death. When he meets him, he puts him to death.
20And if he thrusts him through in hatred, or throws an object at him while lying in wait, so that he dies,”
21or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall certainly be put to death, for he is a murderer. The revenger of blood puts the murderer to death when he meets him.
22But if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws an object at him without lying in wait,
23or 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,
24then the congregation shall judge between him who struck someone and the revenger of blood, according to these right-rulings.
25And the congregation shall rescue the man-slayer from the hand of the revenger 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 set-apart oil.
26But if the man-slayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,
27and the revenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the revenger of blood executes the man-slayer, he is not guilty of blood,
28because 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 man-slayer is to return to the land of his possession.
29And these shall be for a law of right-ruling to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30Whoever strikes a being, the murderer shall be executed by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness does not bear witness against someone to die.
31And take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall certainly be put to death.
32And take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge to return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.
33And do not profane the land where you are, for blood profanes the land, and the land is not pardoned for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
34And do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, יהוה, am dwelling in the midst of the children of Yisra’ĕl.’ ”
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