Numbers

Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites

1Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

2“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

3The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

4The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubitsfrom the wall on every side.

5You are also to measure two thousand cubitsoutside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.

6Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

7The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.

8The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

Six Cities of Refuge

9Then the LORD said to Moses,

10“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

12You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

13The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.

14Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

15These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

16If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

17Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

18If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.

19The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

20Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,

21or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

22But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

23or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

24then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

25The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled

27and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed,

28because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.

29This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

30If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

31You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

32Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

33Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

34Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”

1The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

2“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.

3They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

4“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 cubitsaround it.

5You 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.

6“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.

7All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands.

8Concerning 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.”

9The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

12The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgement.

13The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

14You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.

15These six cities shall be refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreigner living amongst them, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

16“‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

17If he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

18Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

19The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died,

21or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he 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“‘But if he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

23or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm,

24then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

25The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26“‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees,

27and the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer, he shall not be 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 shall return into the land of his possession.

29“‘These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.

31“‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death. He shall surely be put to death.

32“‘You shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

33“‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.

34You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, where I dwell; for I, the LORD, dwell amongst the children of Israel.’”