1 ¶ And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho, saying,

The Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho,

2 C ommand the sons 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 the suburbs of those cities round about them.

“Tell the people of Israel to give the Levites cities to live in from the land they receive. And give the Levites fields around the cities.

3 A nd they shall have the cities to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their animals and for their substance and for all their beasts.

The cities will be theirs to live in. Their fields will be for their cattle and flocks and for all their animals.

4 A nd 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.

The fields you give the Levites should be around the cities, from the city walls out 500 long steps.

5 T hen ye shall measure from outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the side of the Negev 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.

And you should number 1, 000 long steps from the city on the east side, on the south side, on the west side, and on the north side, with the city in the center. These fields around the cities will belong to them for their animals.

6 A nd among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint so that the manslayer may flee there; and in addition to them ye shall give them forty-two cities.

The cities you give the Levites will be the six cities where people can go to be safe. They will be where a man may run to if he has killed another person. And give them forty-two other cities, added to these.

7 S o all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, the cities with their suburbs.

Give forty-eight cities in all to the Levites, together with their fields.

8 A nd the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the sons of Israel; from those that have much ye shall give many; but from those that have few ye shall give few, each one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his possession which he inherited.

Take more cities from the larger families of Israel to give to the Levites. And take less cities from the smaller families. Each should give some of its cities to the Levites by how much land is received.” The Cities to Be a Safe Place

9 ¶ And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

10 S peak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, When ye have passed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

“Say to the people of Israel, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 t hen ye shall appoint yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you that the manslayer who kills any person unawares may flee there.

choose which cities are to be the ones where you can run to be safe. The man who has killed a person without meaning to may run there.

12 A nd they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger that the manslayer not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

The cities will be a safe place for you from the one who wants to punish you. So the one who has killed a person may not die until the people decide if he is guilty or not.

13 A nd of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge.

The cities you give will be your six cities where you can go to be safe.

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

Give three cities on the east side of the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan. They will be the cities where you can go to be safe.

15 T hese six cities shall be a refuge, both for the sons of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them that anyone that kills another person unawares may flee there.

These six cities will be safe places for the people of Israel and for the stranger and for the one who visits them. Anyone who kills a person without meaning to may run there.

16 A nd if he smites him with an instrument of iron so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

‘But if he killed him with an iron object, then he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.

17 A nd if he smites him by throwing a stone with which he may die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

If he knocked him down with a stone so that he died, he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.

18 O r if he smites him with a hand weapon of wood with which he may die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Or if he hit him with a piece of wood in his hand so that he died, he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.

19 T he kinsman avenger of blood shall slay the murderer; when he meets him, he shall slay him.

The man who wants to punish him for the killing will put the killer to death. He will put him to death when he meets him.

20 B ut if he thrusts him out of hatred or hurls at him by laying in wait, so that he dies

If the killer has pushed him because he hated him, or has thrown something at him after waiting for him, and because of this he died,

21 o r out of enmity smites him with his hand so that he dies, he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer; the kinsman avenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meets him.

or if he hit him down with his hand because he hated him and killed him, for sure the one who killed him must be put to death. He is guilty. The man who wants to punish him for the killing will put him to death when he meets him.

22 B ut if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity, or has cast upon him any thing without laying in wait,

‘But if he pushed him without planning to and without hating him, or threw something at him without having waited for him,

23 o r with any stone, with which a man may die, seeing him not and casts it upon him that he dies, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm,

or he threw a stone without seeing him, killing him without hating him or meaning to hurt him,

24 t hen the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the kinsman avenger of blood according to these laws.

then the people will decide by these Laws between the killer and the one who wants to punish him.

25 A nd the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the kinsman avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, where he has fled, and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

The people will save the killer from the man who wants to punish him. And they will return him to his city where he had gone to be safe. He will live in it until the death of the head religious leader who was set apart with the holy oil.

26 B ut if the manslayer shall at any time come outside the border of the city of his refuge where he has fled,

But if the man who killed another person at sometime goes outside his city where he went to be safe,

27 a nd the kinsman avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the kinsman avenger of blood slays the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of his blood.

then the man who wants to punish him will not be guilty of blood if he finds him outside the safe city and kills him.

28 H e 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 manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.

Because the man should have stayed in his city to be safe until the death of the head religious leader. But after the head religious leader dies, the man who killed another person may return to his own land.

29 S o these things shall be for a statute of rights unto you throughout your ages in all your dwellings.

‘These things will be a Law to you and to all your children-to-come in all your homes.

30 W hoever kills 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.

If anyone kills a person, the killer must be put to death by what is told by those who saw the killing. But no person may be put to death because of what one person says.

31 M oreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death.

You must not take pay to save the life of a killer who is guilty of death. But he must be put to death.

32 A nd ye shall take no ransom 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.

You must not take pay for him who has run to his city to be safe, so that he may return to live in the land before the death of the religious leader.

33 S o ye shall not pollute the land where ye are, for this blood shall defile the land; and the land cannot be reconciled of the blood that is shed therein except by the blood of the one that shed it.

You must not make the land where you live unclean. The land is not holy when people are killed. And only the blood of him who is guilty can pay to make the land free from the blood that has fallen on it.

34 D efile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the sons of Israel.

Do not make the land where you live unclean, in the place where I live. For I the Lord am living among the people of Israel.’”