| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: | 1On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, |
| 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"Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands 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. | 3Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other 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. | 4"The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits 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. | 5Outside the town, measure two thousand cubits on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west and two thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland 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. | 6"Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, 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. | 7In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. |
| 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 give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few." |
| 9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 9Then the LORD said 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 say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, |
| 11then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. | 11select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally 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. | 12They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly. |
| 13And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. | 13These six towns you give will be your cities of 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. | 14Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities 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 a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can 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"'If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to 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. | 17Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to 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 anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to 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 shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death. |
| 20If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, | 20If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die |
| 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 if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet. |
| 22‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, | 22"'But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them 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, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, |
| 24then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. | 24the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. |
| 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 assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. |
| 26But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, | 26"'But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they 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 them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. |
| 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. | 28The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property. |
| 29‘And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. | 29"'This is to have the force of law for you throughout the generations to come, wherever 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"'Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. |
| 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. | 31"'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to 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. | 32"'Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their 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"'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one 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.’ ” | 34Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.'" |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
|
