| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: | 1Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Moabite plains by the Jordan near Jericho. He said: |
| 2“Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities. | 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. |
| 3They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals. | 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. |
| 4The common-land of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. | 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. |
| 5And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land for the cities. | 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. |
| 6“Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two 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. |
| 7So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land. | 7"So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is forty-eight. You must give these together with their grazing lands. |
| 8And the cities which you will give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel; from the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.” | 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. |
| 9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 9Then the LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 10“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, | 10"Speak to the Israelites and tell them, 'When you cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, |
| 11then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. | 11you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee. |
| 12They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. | 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. |
| 13And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. | 13These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge. |
| 14You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be 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. |
| 15These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there. | 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. |
| 16‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. | 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. |
| 17And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, 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. |
| 18Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, 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. |
| 19The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. | 19The avenger of blood himself must kill the murderer; when he meets him, he must kill him. |
| 20If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, | 20"But if he strikes him out of hatred or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies, |
| 21or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. | 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. |
| 22‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, | 22"But if he strikes him suddenly, without enmity, or throws anything at him unintentionally, |
| 23or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, | 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, |
| 24then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. | 24then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these decisions. |
| 25So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. | 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. |
| 26But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, | 26But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which he had fled, |
| 27and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, | 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, |
| 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 may return to the land of his possession. | 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. |
| 29‘And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. | 29So these things must be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations, in all the places where you live. |
| 30Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. | 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. |
| 31Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. | 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. |
| 32And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest. | 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. |
| 33So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. | 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. |
| 34Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.’ ” | 34Therefore do not defile the land that you will inhabit, in which I live, for I the LORD live among the Israelites." |
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