Numbers 35

vayedabber Adonai el-mosheh be'arvot mo'av al-yarden yerekho lemor

GOD spoke to Moses in the steppes of Moab at the Jordan near Jericho, saying:

tsav et-bene yisra'el venatenu lalviyyim minnakhalat akhuzzatam arim lashavet umigrash le'arim sevivotehem tittenu lalviyyim

Instruct the Israelite people to assign, out of the holdings apportioned to them, towns for the Levites to dwell in; you shall also assign to the Levites pasture land around their towns.

vehayu he'arim lahem lashavet umigreshehem yihyu livhemtam velirkhusham ulekhol khayyatam

The towns shall be theirs to dwell in, and the pasture shall be for the cattle they own and all their other animals.

umigreshe he'arim asher tittenu lalviyyim miqqir ha'ir vakhutsah elef ammah saviv

The town pasture that you are to assign to the Levites shall extend a thousand cubits outside the town wall all around.

umaddotem mikhuts la'ir et-pe'at-qedemah alpayim ba'ammah ve'et-pe'at-negev alpayim ba'ammah ve'et-pe'at-yam alpayim ba'ammah ve'et pe'at tsafon alpayim ba'ammah veha'ir battavekh zeh yihyeh lahem migreshe he'arim

You shall measure off two thousand cubits outside the town on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west side, and two thousand on the north side, with the town in the center. That shall be the pasture for their towns.

ve'et he'arim asher tittenu lalviyyim et shesh-are hammiqlat asher tittenu lanus shammah harotseakh va'alehem tittenu arba'im ushetayim ir

The towns that you assign to the Levites shall comprise the six cities of refuge that you are to designate for a manslayer to flee to, to which you shall add forty-two towns.

kol-he'arim asher tittenu lalviyyim arba'im ushemoneh ir ethen ve'et-migreshehen

Thus the total of the towns that you assign to the Levites shall be forty-eight towns, with their pasture.

vehe'arim asher tittenu me'akhuzzat bene-yisra'el me'et harav tarbu ume'et hame'at tamitu ish kefi nakhalato asher yinkhalu yitten me'arayw lalviyyim

In assigning towns from the holdings of the Israelites, take more from the larger groups and less from the smaller, so that each assigns towns to the Levites in proportion to the share it receives.

vayedabber Adonai el-mosheh lemor

GOD spoke further to Moses:

dabber el-bene yisra'el ve'amarta alehem ki attem overim et-hayyarden artsah kena'an

Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

vehiqritem lakhem arim are miqlat tihyenah lakhem venas shammah rotseakh makkeh-nefesh bishgagah

you shall provide yourselves with places to serve you as cities of refuge to which a manslayer who has slain a person unintentionally may flee.

vehayu lakhem he'arim lemiqlat miggo'el velo yamut harotseakh ad-omdo lifne ha'edah lammishpat

The cities shall serve you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer may not die unless there is a trial before the assembly.

vehe'arim asher tittenu shesh-are miqlat tihyenah lakhem

The towns that you thus assign shall be six cities of refuge in all.

et shelosh he'arim tittenu me'ever layyarden ve'et shelosh he'arim tittenu be'erets kena'an are miqlat tihyenah

Three cities shall be designated beyond the Jordan, and the other three shall be designated in the land of Canaan: they shall serve as cities of refuge.

livne yisra'el velagger velattoshav betokham tihyenah shesh-he'arim ha'elleh lemiqlat lanus shammah kol-makkeh-nefesh bishgagah

These six cities shall serve the Israelites and the resident aliens among them for refuge, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

ve'im-bikhli varzel hikkahu vayyamot rotseakh hu mot yumat harotseakh

Anyone, however, who strikes another with an iron object so that death results is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

ve'im be'even yad asher-yamut bah hikkahu vayyamot rotseakh hu mot yumat harotseakh

If one struck another with a stone tool that could cause death, and death resulted, that person is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

o bikhli ets-yad asher-yamut bo hikkahu vayyamot rotseakh hu mot yumat harotseakh

Similarly, if one struck another with a wooden tool that could cause death, and death resulted, that person is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

go'el haddam hu yamit et-harotseakh befigo-vo hu yemitennu

It is the blood-avenger who shall put the murderer to death; that is who shall put them to death upon encounter.

ve'im-besinah yehdofennu o-hishlikh alayw bitsdiyyah vayyamot

So, too, if one pushed another in hate or hurled something at them on purpose and death resulted,

o ve'evah hikkahu veyado vayyamot mot-yumat hammakkeh rotseakh hu go'el haddam yamit et-harotseakh befigo-vo

or if one struck with their hand in enmity and death resulted, the assailant shall be put to death; that person is a murderer. The blood-avenger shall put the murderer to death upon encounter.

ve'im-befeta belo-evah hadafo o-hishlikh alayw kol-keli belo tsediyyah

But if the person pushed them without malice aforethought or hurled any object at them unintentionally,

o vekhol-even asher-yamut bah belo re'ot vayyappel alayw vayyamot vehu lo-oyev lo velo mevaqqesh ra'ato

or inadvertently dropped upon them any deadly object of stone, and death resulted—though not being an enemy and not seeking to harm—

veshafetu ha'edah ben hammakkeh uven go'el haddam al hammishpatim ha'elleh

in such cases the assembly shall decide between the slayer and the blood-avenger.

vehitsilu ha'edah et-harotseakh miyyad go'el haddam veheshivu oto ha'edah el-ir miqlato asher-nas shammah veyashav bah ad-mot hakkohen haggadol asher-mashakh oto beshemen haqqodesh

The assembly shall protect the manslayer from the blood-avenger, and the assembly shall restore the former to the same city of refuge, and there he shall remain until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.

ve'im-yatso yetse harotseakh et-gevul ir miqlato asher yanus shammah

But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of that city of refuge,

umatsa oto go'el haddam mikhuts ligvul ir miqlato veratsakh go'el haddam et-harotseakh en lo dam

and is found by the blood-avenger outside the limits of the city of refuge, and if the blood-avenger kills the manslayer, there is no bloodguilt on that account.

ki ve'ir miqlato yeshev ad-mot hakkohen haggadol ve'akhare mot hakkohen haggadol yashuv harotseakh el-erets akhuzzato

For the slayer must remain inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; after the death of the high priest, the manslayer may return home.

vehayu elleh lakhem lekhuqqat mishpat ledorotekhem bekhol moshevotekhem

Such shall be your law of procedure throughout the ages in all your settlements.

kol-makkeh-nefesh lefi edim yirtsakh et-harotseakh ve'ed ekhad lo-ya'aneh venefesh lamut

If anyone slays a person, the manslayer may be executed only on the evidence of witnesses; the testimony of a single witness against a person shall not suffice for a sentence of death.

velo-tiqkhu khofer lenefesh rotseakh asher-hu rasha lamut ki-mot yumat

You may not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of a capital crime; [a murderer] must be put to death.

velo-tiqkhu khofer lanus el-ir miqlato lashuv lashevet ba'arets ad-mot hakkohen

Nor may you accept ransom in lieu of flight to a city of refuge, enabling someone to return home before the death of the priest.

velo-takhanifu et-ha'arets asher attem bah ki haddam hu yakhanif et-ha'arets vela'arets lo-yekhuppar laddam asher shuppakh-bah ki-im bedam shofekho

You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and the land can have no expiation for blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

velo tetamme et-ha'arets asher attem yoshevim bah asher ani shokhen betokhah ki ani Adonai shokhen betokh bene yisra'el

You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I Myself abide, for I GOD abide among the Israelite people.