Chapter 35
001
Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
002
Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall you give to the Levites.
003
The cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their substance, and for all their animals.
004
The suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits round about.
005
You shall measure outside of the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
006
The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to: and besides them you shall give forty-two cities.
007
All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities; them shall you give with their suburbs.
008
Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many; and from the few you shall take few: everyone according to her inheritance which she inherits shall give of her cities to the Levites.
009
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
011
then you shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.
012
The cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die, until she stands before the congregation for judgment.
013
The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.
014
You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall you give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.
015
For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the foreigner living among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.
016
But if she struck her with an instrument of iron, so that she died, she is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
017
If she struck her with a stone in the hand, by which a woman may die, and she died, she is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
018
Or if she struck her with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a woman may die, and she died, she is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
019
The avenger of blood shall herself put the murderer to death: when she meets her, she shall put her to death.
020
If she thrust her of hatred, or hurled at her, lying in wait, so that she died,
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or in enmity struck her with her hand, so that she died; she who struck her shall surely be put to death; she is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when she meets her.
022
But if she thrust her suddenly without enmity, or hurled on her anything without lying in wait,
023
or with any stone, by which a woman may die, not seeing her, and cast it on her, so that she died, and she was not her enemy, neither sought her harm;
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then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;
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and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore her to her city of refuge, where she was fled: and she shall dwell therein until the death of the high priestess, who was anointed with the holy oil.
026
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of her city of refuge, where she flees,
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and the avenger of blood find her outside of the border of her city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kill the manslayer; she shall not be guilty of blood,
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because she should have remained in her city of refuge until the death of the high priestess: but after the death of the high priestess the manslayer shall return into the land of her possession.
029
These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
030
Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that she die.
031
Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; but she shall surely be put to death.
032
You shall take no ransom for her who is fled to her city of refuge, that she may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priestess.
033
So you shall not pollute the land in which you are: for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of her who shed it.
034
You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Yahweh, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.