| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, | 1On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, |
| 2“Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities. | 2"Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. |
| 3The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts. | 3Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals. |
| 4The pasturelands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. | 4"The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the town wall. |
| 5And you shall measure, outside 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, the city being in the middle. This shall belong to them as pastureland for their cities. | 5Outside the town, measure two thousand cubits 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. |
| 6“The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. | 6"Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. |
| 7All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasturelands. | 7In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. |
| 8And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites.” | 8The 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." |
| 9And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 9Then the LORD said to Moses: |
| 10“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, | 10"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into 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. | 11select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 13And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. | 13These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. |
| 14You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. | 14Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as 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. | 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“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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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 himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him 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. |
| 20And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died, | 20If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die |
| 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. | 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 he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait | 22"'But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally |
| 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, | 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, |
| 24then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. | 24the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 26But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, | 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 him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. | 27and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 29And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. | 29"'This is to have the force of law for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live. |
| 30“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. | 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. |
| 31Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. | 31"'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death. |
| 32And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. | 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. |
| 33You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. | 33"'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. |
| 34You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.” | 34Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.'" |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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