| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1The LORD again spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:" | 1The LORD told Moses in the wilderness of Moab, beside the Jordan River near Jericho, |
| 2Command the Israelites to give cities out of their hereditary property for the Levites to live in and pastureland around the cities. | 2"Instruct the Israelis to set aside a portion of their inheritance for the descendants of Levi to live in, along with grazing land surrounding their towns. |
| 3The cities will be for them to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their herds, flocks, and all their other animals. | 3The towns are to be reserved for their dwelling places and the grazing lands are to be reserved for their cattle, livestock, and all their animals. |
| 4The pasturelands of the cities you are to give the Levites will extend from the city wall 500 yards on every side. | 4The grazing lands that you are to reserve for use by the descendants of Levi are to extend 1,000 cubits from the walls of the town. |
| 5Measure 1,000 yards outside the city for the east side, 1,000 yards for the south side, 1,000 yards for the west side, and 1,000 yards for the north side, with the city in the center. This will belong to them as pasturelands for the cities." | 5You are to measure from outside the wall of the town on the east side 2,000 cubits, on the south side 2,000 cubits, on the west side 2,000 cubits, and on the north side 2,000 cubits, with the town placed at the center. This reserved area is to serve as grazing land for their towns. |
| 6The cities you give the Levites will include six cities of refuge, which you must provide so that the one who kills someone may flee there; in addition to these, give 42 other cities. | 6You are to set aside six towns of refuge from the towns that you will be giving to the descendants of Levi, where someone who kills a human being may run for shelter. In addition, give them 42 other towns. |
| 7The total number of cities you give the Levites will be 48, along with their pasturelands. | 7The total number of towns that you are to give to the descendants of Levi is to be 48 towns, including grazing lands surrounding these towns. |
| 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." | 8You are to apportion the towns that you will be giving the Israelis according to the relative size of the tribe. Take a larger portion from those larger in number and a lesser portion from those fewer in number. Each is to set aside towns for the descendants of Levi proportional to the size of their inheritance that they receive." |
| 9The LORD said to Moses, " | 9Then the LORD told Moses, |
| 10Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, | 10"Tell the Israelis that when they have crossed the Jordan River 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. | 11they are to designate some towns of refuge so that anyone who kills someone inadvertently may flee there. |
| 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. | 12They are to serve as cities of refuge from a blood avenger in order to keep the inadvertent killer from dying until he has stood trial in the presence of the community. |
| 13The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge. | 13You are to set aside six towns of refuge. |
| 14Select three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan to be cities of refuge. | 14Appoint three towns this side of the Jordan River and three towns in the land of Canaan to serve as the towns of refuge, |
| 15These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or temporary resident among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there." | 15that is, places of refuge for the Israelis, the resident alien, and any travelers among them. Anyone who kills a person inadvertently may flee there." |
| 16If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. | 16"Whoever uses an iron implement to kill someone is to be adjudged a murderer, and that murderer is certainly to be put to death. |
| 17If a man has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death. | 17Furthermore, whoever uses a stone implement to kill someone is to be adjudged a murderer, and that murderer is certainly to be put to death. |
| 18If a man 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. | 18Also, whoever uses a wooden implement to kill someone with it is to be adjudged a murderer, and that murderer is certainly to be put to death. |
| 19The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him. | 19The blood avenger himself is to execute the murderer. When he meets him, the blood avenger is to put him to death. |
| 20Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws an object at him with malicious intent and he dies, | 20If the killer shoved his victim out of hatred, or hurled something at him while waiting in ambush so that he died, |
| 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 if he struck him with his hand out of hatred so that he died, then the killer is certainly to be put to death for murder. The avenger of blood is to put him to death when he meets him." |
| 22But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent | 22"But if he pushed him suddenly without hatred, or if he hurled something in his direction without waiting in ambush, |
| 23or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and wasn't trying to harm him, | 23or if he hit him with a stone carelessly so that he was fatally injured, though he isn't his enemy and he wasn't seeking to commit evil against him, |
| 24the assembly is to judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. | 24then the community is to judge between the inadvertent killer and the blood avenger, following these ordinances. |
| 25The assembly is to protect the one who kills someone from the hand of 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." | 25The community is to release the inadvertent killer from the blood avenger and return him to the town of refuge where he had fled. He is to live there until the High Priest dies, who will have anointed him with holy oil. |
| 26If the one who kills someone ever goes outside the border of the city of refuge he fled to, | 26But if the inadvertent killer leaves the town of refuge where he had 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 blood avenger finds him outside the town of refuge where he had fled and kills him, the blood avenger is not to be found guilty of murder. |
| 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. | 28The inadvertent killer is to live in the town of refuge until the High Priest dies. After the death of the High Priest, the inadvertent killer is to return to the land of his inheritance. |
| 29These instructions will be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live." | 29These are to be the statutes and ordinances for you throughout all your generations, regardless of where you live." |
| 30If 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. | 30"Every murderer of a human being is to be executed only according to testimony given by multiple witnesses. A single witness is not to result in a death sentence. |
| 31You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of killing someone; he must be put to death. | 31You are to receive no ransom for the life of a killer who is guilty of murder; instead, he is to die. |
| 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." | 32You are not to receive payment of a ransom for someone who had fled to a town of refuge but then left to live in his homeland before the death of the high priest. |
| 33Do not defile the land where you are, 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. | 33You are not to pollute the land where you live, because blood defiles the land, and the land cannot atone for blood that has been spilled on it, except through the blood of the one who spilled it. |
| 34Do not make the land unclean where you live and where I reside; for I, Yahweh, reside among the Israelites." | 34You are not to defile the land where you will be living, because I'm living among you. I am the LORD, who lives in Israel." |
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