English Standard Version

Berean Study Bible

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

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

2“Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities.

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 shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts.

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 of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around.

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

5And 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, the city being in the middle. This shall belong to them as pastureland for their cities.

5You are also to measure two thousand cubits outside 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.

6“The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two 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.

7All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasturelands.

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

8And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites.”

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.”

9And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

9Then the LORD said to Moses,

10“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

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

11then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.

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

12The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

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.

13And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.

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

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

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

15These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.

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.

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

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.

17And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall 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.

18Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall 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 shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

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

20And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died,

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

21or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets 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.

22“But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait

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

23or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,

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 shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.

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

25And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

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 shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,

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 the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.

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

28For he must remain in his city of 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.

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.

29And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

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

30“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.

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.

31Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.

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

32And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.

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.

33You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

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.

34You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

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

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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