Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites 1And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses in the fieldes of Moab by Iordane ouer against Iericho, saying: 2Commaunde ye chyldren of Israel, that they geue vnto the Leuites of the inheritaunce of their possession, cities to dwell in: And ye shal geue also vnto the cities of the Leuites, suburbes harde by their cities rounde about them. 3The cities shall they haue to dwell in, and the suburbes for their cattell, and for their possession, & al maner of beastes of theirs. 4And the suburbes of the cities whiche ye shall geue vnto the Leuites, shall reache from the wall of the citie outwarde, a thousande cubites rounde about. 5And ye shall measure without the citie of the east syde, two thousande cubites: and of the south syde, two thousande cubites: and of the west side, two thousand cubites: and of the north side, two thousande cubites also, and the citie shalbe in the middes: and these shalbe the suburbes of their cities.
6And from among the cities whiche ye shall geue vnto the Leuites, there shal be sixe cities for refuge, whiche ye shall appoynt Six Cities of Refuge 9And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
10Speake vnto the chyldren of Israel, and say vnto them: When ye be come ouer Iordane into the lande of Chanaan:
11Ye shall appoint you cities, to be cities of refuge for you: that he whiche sleeth a person vnwares, may flee thyther.
12And these cities shalbe vnto you a refuge from the auenger of blood: that he which killeth, dye not, vntill he stand before the congregation in iudgement.
13And of these cities which ye shal geue, sixe cities shall ye haue for refuge.
14Ye shal geue three on this side Iordane, and three in the land of Chanaan, whiche shalbe cities of refuge.
15And these sixe cities shalbe a refuge, both for the chyldren of Israel, and for the straunger, & for hym that dwelleth among you: that all they whiche kyll any person vnwares, may flee thyther.
16And if any man smyte another with an instrument of iron that he dye, then is he a murtherer, and the murtherer shall dye for it.
17If he smyte hym with throwyng a stone, that a man may dye with, and if he dye, he that smote hym is a murtherer: let the same murtherer be slayne therefore.
18Or if he smyte hym with a handweapon of wood that a man may dye with, then if he dye, he is a murtherer: let the same murtherer be slaine therfore.
19The reuenger of blood him selfe shal slay the murtherer: when he meeteth hym, he shall slay hym.
20But if he thrust hym of hate, or hurle at hym by laying of wayte, that he dye,
21Or smyte hym with his hande of enmitie that he dye: he that smote hym shall dye the death, for he is a murtherer: the reuenger of the blood shall slay the murtherer when he meeteth hym.
22But if he pusshed hym vnaduisedly, and not of hate, or cast vpon hym any thing, and not in laying of wayte,
23Or any maner of stone that a man may dye with, and saw him not, and he caused it to fall vpon hym, and he dye, and was not his enemie, neither sought hym any harme:
24Then the congregation shal iudge betweene the slayer and the reuenger of blood, according to these lawes.
25And the congregation shall deliuer the slayer out of the hande of the reuenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore hym to the citie of his refuge, whyther he was fled: and he shal abide there vnto the death of the hye priest, whiche was annoynted with the holy oyle.
26But if the slayer come without the borders of his citie of refuge, whyther he was fled:
27And the reuenger of blood finde hym without the borders of the citie of his refuge, and the reuenger of blood kyll the slayer, he shalbe gyltlesse:
28Because he shoulde haue bydden in the towne of his refuge vntill the death of the hye priest; and after the death of the hye priest, the slayer should returne vnto the lande of his possession.
29So these thynges shalbe a lawe of iudgement vnto you, throughout your generations, in al your dwellinges.
30Whoso kylleth any person, the |
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