Numbers
Numbers 35 ©
1 The Levites are to have eight and forty cities (six of them to be cities of refuge) with their suburbs of a certain measure. 9 The laws of murder and manslaughter. 31 No satisfaction to be taken for either of them.
AND the LORD spake unto Moses in athe plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
Command bthe children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites csuburbs for the cities round about them.
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.
And dthe suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
And ye 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 midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
And eamong the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and 1to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be fforty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
And the cities which ye shall give shall be gof the possession of the children of Israel: hfrom them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which 2he inheriteth.
¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, iWhen ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
Then jye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person 3at unawares.
These six cities shall be a refuge, both ofor the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: pthat every one that killeth any person *unawares may flee thither.
And if he smite him 4with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
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 meeteth him.
Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
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, whither he was fled: and he shall wabide in it unto the death of xthe high priest, ywhich was anointed with the holy oil.
But if the slayer shall at any time come *without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
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.
So these things shall be for a astatute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Moreover cye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is 6guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
And ye 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.
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are : for dblood it defileth the land: and 7the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but eby the blood of him that shed it.