Números 35

¹ And the Lord spake vnto Moses in the plaine of Moab by Iorden, toward Iericho, saying,

² Command the children of Israel, that they give unto theBecause they had no inheritance assigned them in the land of Canaan.Levites of the inheritance of their possessionGod would have them scattered through all the land, because the people might be preserved by them in the obedience of God and his Law.cities to dwell in; and ye shall give [also] unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.

³ So they shall haue the cities to dwell in, & their suburbes shall be for their cattell, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

⁴ And the suburbes of the cities, which ye shal giue vnto the Leuites, from the wall of the citie outward, shalbe a thousand cubites round about.

⁵ And ye shall measure from without the city on the east sideSo that in all were three thousand, and in the compass of these two thousand, they might plant and sow.two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city [shall be] in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

⁶ And of the cities which yee shall giue vnto the Leuites, there shalbe sixe cities for refuge, which ye shal appoint, that he which killeth, may flee thither: and to them yee shall adde two and fourtie cities mo.

⁷ All the cities which yee shall giue to the Leuites, shalbe eight and fourtie cities: them shal ye giue with their suburbes.

⁸ And concerning the cities which yee shall giue, of the possession of the children of Israel: of many ye shall take mo, and of few ye shall take lesse: euery one shall giue of his cities vnto the Leuites, according to his inheritance, which hee inheriteth.

⁹ And the Lorde spake vnto Moses, saying,

¹⁰ Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, When ye be come ouer Iorden into the land of Canaan,

¹¹ Ye shall appoint you cities, to bee cities of refuge for you, that the slayer, which slayeth any person vnwares, may flee thither.

¹² And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from theMeaning, from the next of the kindred, who ought to pursue the cause.avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.

¹³ And of the cities which ye shall giue, sixe cities shall ye haue for refuge.

¹⁴ Ye shall give three citiesAmong the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, (Deu_4:41).on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, [which] shall be cities of refuge.

¹⁵ These six cities shalbe a refuge for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for him that dwelleth among you, that euery one which killeth any person vnwares, may flee thither.

¹⁶ And if heWittingly, and willingly.smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷ And if he smite him with throwing aThat is, with a big and dangerous stone: in Hebrew, with a stone of his hand.stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸ Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may be slaine, if he die, he is a murtherer, and the murtherer shall die the death.

¹⁹ The reuenger of the blood himselfe shall slay the murtherer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

²⁰ But if hee thrust him of hate, or hurle at him by laying of wait, that he die,

²¹ Or smite him through enimitie with his hand, that he die, he that smote him shal die ye death: for hee is a murtherer: the reuenger of the blood shall slay the murtherer when he meeteth him.

²² But if he pusshed him vnaduisedly, and not of hatred, or cast vpon him any thing, without laying of waite,

²³ Or any stone (whereby he might be slaine) and sawe him not, or caused it to fall vpon him, and he die, and was not his enemie, neither sought him any harme,

²⁴ Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and theThat is, his next kinsman.revenger of blood according to these judgments:

²⁵ 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 theUnder this figure is declared, that our sins could not be remitted, but by the death of the high Priest Jesus Christ.high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ But if the slayer come without the borders of the citie of his refuge, whither he was fled,

²⁷ And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill theBy the sentence of the judge.slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

²⁸ Because he should haue remained in the citie of his refuge, vntill the death of the hie Priest: and after the death of the hie Priest, the slayer shal returne vnto the land of his possession.

²⁹ So these [things] shall be for aA law to judge murders done either on purpose, or accidentally.statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

³⁰ Whosoeuer killeth any person, the Iudge shall slay the murtherer, through witnesses: but one witnesse shall not testifie against a person to cause him to die.

³¹ Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which [is]Who purposely committed murder.guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

³² Also ye shall take no recompense for him that is fled to the citie of his refuge, that he should come againe, and dwell in the lande, before the death of the hie Priest.

³³ So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye [are]: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot beSo God is mindful of the blood wrongfully shed, that he makes his dumb creatures demand vengeance of it.cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

³⁴ Defile not therefore the lande which yee shall inhabite, For I dwell in the middes thereof: for I the Lord dwel among the children of Israel.