Numbers 35

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The cities of the Levites

And the Lord said to Moses in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho, And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
Give orders to the children of Israel to give to the Levites, from the heritage which is theirs, towns for themselves, with land on the outskirts of the towns. Command the children 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 suburbs for the cities round about them.
These towns are to be their living-places, with land round them for their cattle and their food and all their beasts, And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
Stretching from the wall of the towns a distance of a thousand cubits all round. And 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 measure of this space of land is to be two thousand cubits outside the town on the east, and two thousand cubits on the south and on the west and on the north, the town being in the middle. This space will be the outskirts of their towns. And ye shall measure from without 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; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
And the towns which you give the Levites are to be the six safe places to which the taker of life may go in flight; and in addition you are to give them forty-two towns. And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
Forty-eight towns are to be given to the Levites, all with land round them. So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
And these towns are to be given out of the heritage of the children of Israel, taking the greater number from those who have much, and a smaller number from those who have little: everyone, in the measure of his heritage, is to give of his property to the Levites. And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

The cities of refuge, The laws about putting to death

And the Lord said to Moses, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Say to the children of Israel, when you have gone over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
Then let certain towns be marked out as safe places to which anyone who takes the life of another in error may go in flight. Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
In these towns you may be safe from him who has the right of punishment; so that death may not overtake the taker of life till he has been judged by the meeting of the people. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
Six of the towns which you give will be such safe places; And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
Three on the other side of Jordan and three in the land of Canaan, to be safe places for flight. Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
For the children of Israel and for the man from another country who is living among them, these six towns are to be safe places, where anyone causing the death of another through error may go in flight. These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.
But if a man gives another man a blow with an iron instrument, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death. And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Or if he gives him a blow with a stone in his hand, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death. Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
If in his hate he put a sword through him, or waiting secretly for him sent a spear or stone at him, causing his death; But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him. Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.
But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him, But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil: Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
Then let the meeting of the people be judge between the man responsible for the death and him who has the right of punishment for blood, acting by these rules: Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
And let the people keep the man responsible for the death safe from the hands of him who has the right of punishment for blood, and send him back to his safe town where he had gone in flight: there let him be till the death of the high priest who was marked with the holy oil. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.
But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight, But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
And the giver of punishment, meeting him outside the walls of the town, puts him to death, he will not be responsible for his blood: And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:
Because he had been ordered to keep inside the safe town till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the taker of life may come back to the place of his heritage. Because he 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 slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
These rules are to be your guide in judging through all your generations wherever you may be living. So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Anyone causing the death of another is himself to be put to death on the word of witnesses: but the word of one witness is not enough. Whoso killeth 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.
Further, no price may be given for the life of one who has taken life and whose right reward is death: he is certainly to be put to death. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
And no price may be offered for one who has gone in flight to a safe town, for the purpose of letting him come back to his place before the death of the high priest. And ye shall take no satisfaction 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.
So do not make the land where you are living unholy: for blood makes the land unholy: and there is no way of making the land free from the blood which has come on it, but only by the death of him who was the cause of it. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
Do not make unclean the land where you are living and in which is my House: for I the Lord am present among the children of Israel. Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
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