Study Desk

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross the 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 you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, so that the one who commits manslaughter by killing a person unintentionally may flee there.

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.

'The cities shall serve you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who commits manslaughter does not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.

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.

'So the cities which you are to provide shall be six cities of refuge for you.

And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.

'You shall provide three cities across the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge.

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.

'These six cities shall be a refuge for the sons of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreign resident among them; so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

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 he struck him with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer must 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.

'And if he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must 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 struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must 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.

'The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he himself shall put him to death when he meets him.

The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

'Now if he pushed him in hatred, or he threw something at him with malicious intent, and as a result he died,

But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;

or if he struck him with his hand with hostility, and as a result he died, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets 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 he pushed him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without malicious intent,

But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,

or had any deadly stone, and without looking he dropped it on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor was he seeking to harm him,

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 the congregation shall judge between the one who fatally struck the victim and the blood avenger in accordance with these ordinances.

Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:

'And the congregation shall save the one who committed manslaughter from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall return him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed 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 at any time he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees,

But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;

and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills him, he will not be guilty of bloodshed,

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 should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the one who committed manslaughter may return to the land of his property.

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 things shall be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

'If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

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.

'Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is condemned to death, but he must 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 you shall not accept a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in the land before the death of the 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 you shall not defile the land in which you live; 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 the one who shed 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.

'So you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.'"

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.