NET Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Moabite plains by the Jordan near Jericho. He said:

1Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

2"Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. You must also give the Levites grazing land around the towns.

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.

3Thus they will have towns in which to live, and their grazing lands will be for their cattle, for their possessions, and for all their animals.

3"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.

4The grazing lands around the towns that you will give to the Levites must extend to a distance of 500 yards from the town wall.

4"The pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around.

5"You must measure from outside the wall of the town on the east 1,000 yards, and on the south side 1,000 yards, and on the west side 1,000 yards, and on the north side 1,000 yards, with the town in the middle. This territory must belong to them as grazing land for the towns.

5"You shall also 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, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

6Now from these towns that you will give to the Levites you must select six towns of refuge to which a person who has killed someone may flee. And you must give them forty-two other towns.

6"The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the 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"So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is forty-eight. You must give these together with their grazing lands.

7"All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands.

8The towns you will give must be from the possession of the Israelites. From the larger tribes you must give more; and from the smaller tribes fewer. Each must contribute some of its own towns to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance allocated to each.

8"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."

9Then the LORD spoke to Moses:

9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

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

10"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.

11then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there.

12And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community.

12'The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.

13These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge.

13'The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge.

14"You must give three towns on this side of the Jordan, and you must give three towns in the land of Canaan; they must be towns of refuge.

14'You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge.

15These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites, and for the foreigner, and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there.

15'These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

16"But if he hits someone with an iron tool so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.

16'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.

17If he strikes him by throwing a stone large enough that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.

17If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon so that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.

18Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19The avenger of blood himself must kill the murderer; when he meets him, he must kill him.

19'The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.

20"But if he strikes him out of hatred or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies,

20If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died,

21or with enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The avenger of blood must kill the murderer when he meets him.

21or 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"But if he strikes him suddenly, without enmity, or throws anything at him unintentionally,

22'But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait,

23or with any stone large enough that a man could die, without seeing him, and throws it at him, and he dies, even though he was not his enemy nor sought his harm,

23or with any deadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury,

24then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these decisions.

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

25The community must deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the community must restore him to the town of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the consecrated oil.

25'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.

26But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which he had fled,

26'But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee,

27and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the town of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the slayer, he will not be guilty of blood,

27and 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

28because the slayer should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to the land of his possessions.

28because 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.

29So these things must be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations, in all the places where you live.

29'These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30"Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be put to death by the testimony of witnesses; but one witness cannot testify against any person to cause him to be put to death.

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

31Moreover, you must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; he must surely be put to death.

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.

32And you must not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a town of refuge, to allow him to return home and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

32'You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest.

33"You must not pollute the land where you live, for blood defiles the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed there, except by the blood of the person who shed it.

33'So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

34Therefore do not defile the land that you will inhabit, in which I live, for I the LORD live among the Israelites."

34'You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.'"

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