Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

1The LORD again spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

1And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

2"Command the Israelites to give cities out of their hereditary property for the Levites to live in and pastureland around the cities.

2Command the 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 suburbs for the cities round about them.

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

3And 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.

4The pasturelands of the cities you are to give the Levites will extend from the city wall five hundred yards on every side.

4And the 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.

5Measure a thousand yards outside the city for the east side, a thousand yards for the south side, a thousand yards for the west side, and a thousand yards for the north side, with the city in the center. This will belong to them as pasturelands for the cities.

5And 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.

6"The cities you give the Levites will include six cities of refuge, which you will provide so that the one who kills someone may flee there; in addition to these, give forty-two other cities.

6And among 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 to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

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

7So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.

8Of the cities that you give from the Israelites' territory, you should take more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one. Each tribe is to give some of its cities to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance it receives."

8And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from 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 he inheriteth.

9The LORD said to Moses,

9And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

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

10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

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

11Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.

12You will have the cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who kills someone will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

12And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.

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

13And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.

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

14Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.

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

15These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

16"If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

16And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17If anyone has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.

17And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18If anyone has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.

18Or 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.

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

19The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

20Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws an object at him with malicious intent and he dies,

20But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;

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

21Or 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.

22"But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent

22But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,

23or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and didn't intend to harm him,

23Or 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:

24the assembly is to judge between the person who kills someone and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

24Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:

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

25And 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 abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

26"If the one who kills someone ever goes outside the border of the city of refuge he fled to,

26But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;

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

27And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

28for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses.

28Because 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.

29These instructions will be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.

29So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

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

30Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

31You are not to accept a ransom for the life of someone who is guilty of murder; he must be put to death.

31Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

32Neither should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to his city of refuge, allowing him to return and live in the land before the death of the high priest.

32And 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.

33"Do not defile the land where you live, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it.

33So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

34Do not make the land unclean where you live and where I dwell; for I, the LORD, reside among the Israelites."

34Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.