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Numbers 35
Wycliffe Bible
Numbers 35
Wycliffe Bible
35 And the Lord spake these things to Moses, in the field places of Moab, above Jordan, against Jericho, (And the Lord spoke these things to Moses, on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho,)
2 Command thou to the sons of Israel, that they give to the deacons, of their possessions, cities to dwell in, and the suburbs of those by compass, (Command thou to the Israelites, that they give to the Levites, out of their possessions, cities to live in, and the suburbs around them,)
3 that they dwell in the cities, and the suburbs be to beasts, and work beasts; (so that they can live in those cities, and that the suburbs can be for their beasts, and their work beasts;)
4 which suburbs shall be stretched forth from the walls of the cities withoutforth by compass, in the space of a thousand paces;
5 against the east coast shall be two thousand cubits, and against the south in like manner shall be two thousand cubits, and at the sea that beholdeth to the west shall be the same measure, and the north coast shall be ended by even term. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs withoutforth. (that is, the eastern border shall be two thousand cubits out from the city, and the southern border shall also be two thousand cubits out, and the western border shall be the same measure out, as shall be the northern border. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs shall be all around them.)
6 Forsooth of those cities which ye shall give to [the] deacons, six shall be separated into [the] helps of fugitives, either of fleeing men, that he that shedded blood, flee to those; (And of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, six shall be set apart for fugitives, or for those who flee, so that anyone who sheddeth out blood, can flee to them;)
7 and besides these six cities, ye shall give to the deacons (ye shall give to the Levites), (an)other two and forty cities, that is, altogether eight and forty, with their suburbs.
8 And (of) those cities that shall be given (out) of the possession of the sons of Israel, more cities shall be taken away from them that have more, and fewer from them that have less; all the sons of Israel by themselves shall give by the measure of their heritage, cities to the deacons (each tribe of the Israelites shall give cities to the Levites, according to the size of their inheritance).
9 (And) The Lord said to Moses,
10 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, When ye have passed [over] Jordan (When we have crossed over the Jordan River), in[to] the land of Canaan,
11 deem ye which cities ought to be into the helps of fugitives which not willfully have shed blood. (decide ye which cities ought to be for the help of those who flee, who have not intentionally shed blood.)
12 In which cities when the fleer hath fled, the kinsman of him that is slain, shall not be able to slay him, till he stand in the sight of the multitude, and the cause of him be deemed. (In which cities to where a fleer hath fled, the next-of-kin of him who is killed, shall not be able to kill the one who fleeth, until he standeth before the multitude, and his case is tried.)
13 Forsooth of those cities that be separated to the helps of fugitives, (And of those cities that shall be set apart for the help of fleeing men,)
14 three shall be beyond (the) Jordan, (that is, on the eastern side of the river,) and three in the land of Canaan;
15 as well to the sons of Israel as to comelings, and pilgrims; that he flee to those cities, that shedded blood not willfully. (for the Israelites, as well as for newcomers, and foreigners, or strangers; so that anyone, who did not intentionally shed blood, can flee to one of those cities.)
16 If any man smiteth a man with (a thing of) iron, and he that is smitten is dead, the smiter shall be guilty of manslaying, and he shall die. (If anyone striketh someone with a thing of iron, and he who is struck dieth, the striker shall be guilty of manslaughter, and he must be put to death.)
17 If he casteth a stone, and a man is dead by the stroke thereof, the caster shall be punished in like manner. (If anyone throweth a stone, and someone dieth by the stroke of it, the stone-thrower must be put to death.)
18 If a man smitten with a staff dieth, he shall be venged by the blood of the smiter. (If someone struck with a staff dieth, he shall be avenged by the death of the person who struck him.)
19 The nigh kinsman of him that is slain shall slay the manslayer; anon as he taketh (hold of) the manslayer, he shall slay him. (The next-of-kin of him who is killed, shall kill the man-killer; as soon as he catcheth the man-killer, he shall kill him.)
20 If by hatred a man hurtleth, either shoveth, a man, either casteth anything into him by ambushings, (If in hatred anyone hurtleth, or pusheth, someone, or intentionally throweth something into him,)
21 either when he was enemy to him, smite him with his hand, and he is dead, the smiter shall be guilty of manslaying. The kinsman of him that is slain, anon as he findeth him, that is, the slayer, shall slay him. (or when he was an enemy to him, he striketh him with his hand, and he dieth, the striker shall be guilty of manslaughter. The next-of-kin of him who is killed, as soon as he findeth the killer, shall kill him.)
22 That if by sudden case, and without hatred and enmities, a man doeth anything of these; (But if, on the spur of the moment, or by accident, and without any hatred or enmities, someone doeth any of these things;)
23 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)
24 and this is proved, the people hearing (and this is proven before the people), and the question of the blood, or death, is discussed betwixt the smiter and the kinsman of him that is slain,
25 the innocent (man) shall be delivered from the hand of the venger (of the blood), and by sentence of judges he shall be led again into the city, to which he fled, and he shall dwell there, till the great priest die, which is anointed with [holy] oil. (the guiltless person, that is, he who killed unintentionally, shall be rescued from the hand of the avenger of the blood, and by the sentence of the judges he shall be brought again to the city, to which he fled, and he shall live there until the High Priest, who is anointed with holy oil, hath died.)
26 If the slayer is found without the coasts of the cities that be assigned to exiled men, (But if the killer is found anywhere outside the cities of refuge,)
27 and he is slain of him that is venger [of the blood], he that slayeth him shall be without guilt; (and he is killed by him who is the avenger of the blood, he who killeth him shall be without guilt;)
28 for the exiled man ought (to) sit in the city till to the death of the bishop; forsooth after that that bishop is dead, the manslayer shall turn again into his land. (for the exiled person ought to remain in the city until the death of the High Priest; but after that the High Priest is dead, the man-killer can return to his own land.)
29 These shall be everlasting and lawful things in all your dwellings. (These shall be everlasting laws wherever you shall live.)
30 A manslayer shall be punished under witnesses; no man shall be condemned at the witnessing of one man. (A man-killer shall be found guilty, and put to death, only after the testimony of two or more witnesses; no one shall be put to death after the testimony of only one person.)
31 Ye shall not take price of him which is guilty of blood, or death, anon and he shall die. (Ye shall not take payment from anyone who is guilty of murder, so that he can live, but he must be put to death at once.)
32 Men exiled, and fugitives, shall not be able to turn again in any manner into their cities, before the death of the bishop, (Exiled people, and fugitives, shall not be able to return to their own cities, for any reason, before the death of the High Priest,)
33 lest ye defoul the land of your habitation, which is defouled by the (shedding of the) blood of innocent men; and it may not be cleansed in (any) other manner, no but by the blood of him, that shedded the blood of another man.
34 And so your possession shall be cleansed, for I shall dwell with you; for I am the Lord, that dwell among the sons of Israel. (And so the land, in which I live with you, shall be made clean, or purified; for I am the Lord, who liveth among the Israelites.)
Numbers 35
New International Version
Numbers 35
New International Version
Towns for the Levites
35 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho,(A) the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in(B) from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands(C) around the towns. 3 Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals.(D)
4 “The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits[a] from the town wall. 5 Outside the town, measure two thousand cubits[b](E) 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.(F)
Cities of Refuge(G)
6 “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee.(H) In addition, give them forty-two other towns. 7 In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. 8 The 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.”(I)
9 Then the Lord said to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,(J) 11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone(K) accidentally(L) may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger,(M) so that anyone accused of murder(N) may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.(O) 13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.(P) 14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. 15 These 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.(Q) 17 Or 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. 18 Or 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. 19 The avenger of blood(R) shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.(S) 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally(T) so that they die 21 or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;(U) that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood(V) shall put the murderer to death when they meet.
22 “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally(W) 23 or, 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, 24 the assembly(X) must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. 25 The 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,(Y) who was anointed(Z) with the holy oil.(AA)
26 “‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. 28 The 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 “‘This is to have the force of law(AB) for you throughout the generations to come,(AC) wherever you live.(AD)
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.(AE)
31 “‘Do not accept a ransom(AF) for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.
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.
33 “‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land,(AG) and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land(AH) where you live and where I dwell,(AI) for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’”
Footnotes
- Numbers 35:4 That is, about 1,500 feet or about 450 meters
- Numbers 35:5 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters
Numbers 35
King James Version
Numbers 35
King James Version
35 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.
3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5 And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side 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 among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
8 And 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.
9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
11 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.
12 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.
13 And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 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.
19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
21 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.
22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
23 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:
24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the 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 the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city 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 the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:
28 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.
29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 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.
31 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.
32 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.
33 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.
34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
New International Version (NIV) 
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