Open English Translation NUM Chapter 35

35 While they were there on the Moav plains beside the Yarden river, Yahweh told Mosheh (Moses).[ref] 2 “Tell the Israelis that out of the land that they’ll own, they must give the Levites cities for them to live in, as well as some pastureland around those cities. 3 The cities will be for them to live in, and that pastureland will be for their herds and their flocks, and for their other animals. 4 The pastureland must extend out half a kilometre around the walls of the Levites cities. 5 Then going out a kilometre in each compass direction, that will also be their land.[fn] 6 The Levites must be given forty-two cities to live in, plus you all must designate six refuge cities so that if someone accidentally kills another, they can flee to the refuge city. 7 That would make a total of forty-eight cities, plus their pasturelands, to be given to the Levites. 8 The larger tribes must give more cities than the smaller tribes, according to the area that they inherit.”

9 Then Yahweh told Mosheh,[ref] 10 “Tell the Israelis that when you cross the Yarden river to enter Kanaan, 11 you all must choose some cities to become ‘refuge cities’ so that if someone accidentally kills another person, they can flee there. 12 The cities will be places to stay safe from being avenged by the relatives until the killer can be formally tried. 13 You all must allocate six refuge cities—14 three on the eastern side of the Yarden, and there on the western side in Kanann. 15 Both Israelis and foreigners living in the country can flee to any of those six cities—anyone who kills another person by accident.

16 “However, if someone strikes another person with a metal object and they die, then that person is a murderer, and murderers must be executed. 17 Similarly, anyone who strikes another person when holding a rock or stone, then that person is a murderer, and murderers must be executed. 18 Again, if someone strikes another person with a piece of wood, then that person is a murderer, and murderers must be executed. 19 The relative who is avenging the spilt blood must execute the murderer as soon as he finds them.

20 “If someone pushes another person in hatred, or lies in wait and then throws something at them, 21 or angrily strikes them with their hand, and then they die, it must be regarded as murder, and when the avenger of their blood finds the murderer, he must execute them.

22 “But if someone pushes another person without any hateful intent, or throws something at them without lying in wait, 23 or drops a rock without noticing someone, and they die but they weren’t that person’s enemy and no harm was intended, 24 then the community must judge between the one who killed and the avenger of the dead person, in accordance with these regulations. 25 If the one who killed is declared innocent, then the community must rescue them from the avenger and return them to the refuge city that they’d fled to, and that accidental killer must live there until after the death of the high priest (who had been anointed with sacred oil). 26 However, if they then ever left the refuge city that they’d fled to, 27 and the avenger found them outside the city boundary, then that relative of the dead person is permitted to kill that person and won’t be accountable for their blood. 28 That’s because the one who killed must remain in that city until the death of the high priest—they can only return to their family home after the high priest’s death. 29 You all must follow these regulations through the generations no matter where you live.

30 “If someone murders another person, they’re to be executed if there’s evidence from witnesses (plural, not just one witness). 31 That sentence can’t be changed to a fine and/or a payment to the deceased’s family—the murderer must be executed. 32 Similarly for the accidental killer who fled to a refuge city, they can’t elect to pay a fine and/or pay compensation in order to be able to return home before the high priest’s death. 33 You mustn’t profane the land that you’re all going to by tolerating murder, because human blood pollutes the ground, and you all can’t restore the land with any sacrifice—only by the blood of the one who shed someone else’s blood. 34 You mustn’t profane the land that you’ll all be living in because I’ll also be living in it, as I will live among you Israelis.”