Numbers 35
Legacy Standard Bible
Cities for the Levites
35 (A)Now Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. 3 And the cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.
4 “And the pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city [a]outward [b]one thousand cubits around. 5 You shall also measure outside the city on the east side [c]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, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.
Cities of Refuge
6 And the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the (B)six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be (C)forty-eight cities, [d]together with their pasture lands. 8 (D)Now as for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger, and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits.”
9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “(E)Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 (F)then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your (G)cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has struck down any person (H)unintentionally may flee there. 12 (I)And the cities shall be for you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13 And the cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. 14 You (J)shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities [e]in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel and for the sojourner and for the foreign resident among them; that anyone who strikes a person down (K)unintentionally may flee there.
16 ‘(L)But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer (M)shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him. 20 (N)And if he pushed him of hatred or threw something at him (O)lying in wait and as a result he died, 21 or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 ‘(P)But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity or threw something at him without lying in wait, 23 or with any stone—by which one might die, yet without seeing—and it fell upon him, and he died, but he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury, 24 then (Q)the congregation shall judge between the [f]slayer and the blood avenger according to these legal judgments. 25 And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, 27 and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will 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 for a (R)statutory judgment to you throughout your generations in all your places of habitation.
30 ‘(S)If anyone strikes down a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the mouth of witnesses, but (T)no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31 Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32 And you shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land [g]before the death of the priest. 33 (U)So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land, and no propitiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except (V)by the blood of him who shed it. 34 And you shall not (W)defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which (X)I dwell; for I Yahweh am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”
Footnotes
- Numbers 35:4 Lit and outward
- Numbers 35:4 Approx. 500 yd. or 450 m
- Numbers 35:5 Approx. 1000 yd. or 900 m
- Numbers 35:7 Lit them
- Numbers 35:14 Lit you shall give in
- Numbers 35:24 Or one who strikes down, cf. 35:21
- Numbers 35:32 Or until
Bamidbar 35
Orthodox Jewish Bible
35 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho, saying,
2 Command the Bnei Yisroel, that they give unto the Levi’im from the nachalah of their achuzzah towns to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levi’im open pasturelands around the towns.
3 And the towns shall they have to dwell in; and the open pasturelands of them shall be for their behemah, and for their livestock, and for all their animals.
4 And the open pasturelands of the towns, which ye shall give unto the Levi’im, shall reach from the wall of the Ir and outward a thousand cubits all around.
5 And ye shall measure from outside the Ir on the east side 2000 cubits, and on the south side 2000 cubits, and on the west side 2000 cubits, and on the north side 2000 cubits; and the Ir shall be in the midst; this shall be to them the open pasturelands of the towns.
6 And among the towns which ye shall give unto the Levi’im there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the rotze’ach, that he may flee to there; and to them ye shall add 42 ir.
7 So all the arim (towns) which ye shall give to the Levi’im shall be 48 ir: them shall ye give with their migrashim (open pasturelands).
8 And the arim (towns) which ye shall give shall be of the achuzzat Bnei Yisroel; from them that have many ye shall give more; but from them that have few ye shall give less; every one shall give of his arim unto the Levi’im according to his nachalah which he inheriteth.
9 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
10 Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, When ye be come over the Yarden into Eretz Kena’an,
11 Then ye shall appoint you arim to be arei miklat (cities of refuge) for you; that the rotze’ach may flee to there, which killeth any nefesh bishegagah (unintentionally, accidently).
12 And they shall be unto you arei miklat (cities of refuge) from the Go’el; that the rotze’ach die not, until he stand before the Edah in mishpat.
13 And of these arim which ye shall give there shall be shesh arei miklat.
14 Ye shall give shlosh he’arim on this side of the Yarden, and shlosh he’arim shall ye give in Eretz Kena’an, which shall be arei miklat.
15 These shesh he’arim shall be for miklat (refuge), both for the Bnei Yisroel, and for the ger, and for the toshav (sojourner) among them; that every one that killeth any nefesh bishegagah (unintentionally, accidently) may flee there.
16 And if he strike him with keli barzel, so that he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
17 And if he strike him with an even (stone) in his yad that could kill, and he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he strike him with a keli in his hand that could kill, and he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
19 The Go’el HaDahm himself shall slay the rotze’ach; when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 And if he push him out of sin’ah (hatred), or hurl upon him bitzediyyah (with intention, by laying in wait) that he die;
21 Or in eivah (enmity) strike him with his yad, that he die; he that struck him shall surely be put to death; for he is a rotze’ach; the Go’el HaDahm shall slay the rotze’ach, when he meeteth him.
22 But if he push him suddenly without eivah (enmity), or have thrown upon him any keli with no tzediyyah (intention, laying in wait),
23 Or with any even (stone), that could kill, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his oyev, neither sought his ra’ah,
24 Then the Edah shall judge between the striker and the Go’el HaDahm according to these mishpatim;
25 And the Edah shall deliver the rotze’ach out of the yad Goel HaDahm, and the Edah shall restore him to his ir miklat, to which he fled; and he shall abide in it unto the mot HaKohen HaGadol which was mashach (anointed) with the shemen hakodesh [T.N. Notice there is freedom at the death of the High Priest just as there is peace at the death of the Moshiach Kohen; cf Isa 53:5-9; Ps 110:4).
26 But if the rotze’ach shall at any time come outside the border of the ir miklat to which he fled;
27 And the Go’el HaDahm find him outside the geval (borders, city limit) of his ir miklat, and the Go’el HaDahm kill the rotze’ach, he shall not be guilty of dahm,
28 Because he should have remained in his ir miklat until the mot HaKohen HaGadol; but after the mot HaKohen HaGadol the rotze’ach shall return into his eretz achuzzat.
29 So these things shall be for a chukkat mishpat unto you throughout your dorot in all your dwellings.
30 Whosoever killeth any nefesh, the rotze’ach shall be put to death by the mouth of edim (witnesses); but ed echad (one witness) shall not testify against any nefesh to cause him to die.
31 Moreover ye shall take no kofer (ransom payment, satisfaction) for the nefesh of a rotze’ach, which is guilty of death; but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And ye shall take no kofer for him that is fled to his ir miklat that he should come again to dwell in HaAretz until the mot HaKohen.
33 So ye shall not pollute HaAretz wherein ye are; for dahm pollutes HaAretz; and kapporah cannot be made for HaAretz for the shefach dahm therein, except by the dahm of him that committed shefach dahm (shedding of blood).
34 Therefore, make not tameh HaAretz which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell; for I Hashem dwell among the Bnei Yisroel.
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