Numbers 35:8-28
New American Standard Bible
9Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11then 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.
12The 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.
13So the cities which you are to provide shall be six cities of refuge for you.
14You shall provide three cities across the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge.
15These 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.
16‘But if he struck him with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.
17And 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.
18Or 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.
19The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he himself shall put him to death when he meets him.
20Now if he pushed him in hatred, or he threw something at him with malicious intent, and as a result he died,
21or 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.
22‘But if he pushed him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without malicious intent,
23or 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,
24then the congregation shall judge between the one who fatally struck the victim and the blood avenger in accordance with these ordinances.
25And 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.
26But if at any time he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees,
27and 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,
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 one who committed manslaughter may return to the land of his property.
King James Version
Chapter 35
8And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth. 9And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 11Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. 12And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. 13And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14Ye 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.
15These 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.
16And 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.
17And 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.
18Or 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.
19The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
21Or 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.
22But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
23Or 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:
24Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
25And 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.
26But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
27And 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:
28Because 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.
Christian Standard Bible
9The Lord said to Moses,
10"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11designate cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.
12You will have the cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who kills someone will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
13The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.
14Select three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan to be cities of refuge.
15These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the alien or temporary resident among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.
16"If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.
17If anyone has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.
18If anyone has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.
19The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
20Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws an object at him with malicious intent and he dies,
21or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.
22"But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent
23or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and didn’t intend to harm him,
24the assembly is to judge between the person who kills someone and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
25The assembly is to protect the one who kills someone from the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge he fled to, and he must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26"If the one who kills someone ever goes outside the border of the city of refuge he fled to,
27and the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills him, the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed,
28for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses.
New Living Translation
10Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally.
12These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community.
13Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves,
14three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan.
15These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.
16But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed.
17Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.
18Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.
19The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death.
20So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder.
21Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.
22But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,
23or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies.
24If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative:
25The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.
26But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge,
27and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder.
28The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property.
English Standard Version
9And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.
12The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
13And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.
14You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.
15These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.
16"But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
17And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
18Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
19The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
21or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22"But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait
23or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,
24then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.
25And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,
27and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.
28For he must remain 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.
New International Version
9Then the Lord said to Moses:
10"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,
11select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.
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.
13These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.
14Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.
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" ‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to 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 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 shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.
20If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die
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" ‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally
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,
24the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations.
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.
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 them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder.
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.
New King James Version
9Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan 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.
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.
13And of the cities which you give, you shall have six 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
19The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him 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.
22‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait,
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,
24then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.
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.
26But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he 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,
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.
