35:1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
35:2 Command the sons of Israel, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them you+ will give to the Levites.
35:3 And the cities they will have to dwell in; and their suburbs will be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.
35:4 And the suburbs of the cities, which you+ will give to the Levites, will be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
35:5 And you+ will measure outside the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This will be to them the suburbs of the cities.
35:6 And the cities which you+ will give to the Levites, they will be the six cities of refuge, which you+ will give for the manslayer to flee to: and besides them you+ will give forty and two cities.
35:7 All the cities which you+ will give to the Levites will be forty and eight cities; them [you+ will give] with their suburbs.
35:8 And concerning the cities which you+ will give of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many you+ will take many; and from the few you+ will take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inherits will give of his cities to the Levites.
35:9 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
35:10 Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, When you+ pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
35:11 then you+ will appoint yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you+, that the manslayer who strikes any soul unintentionally may flee there.
35:12 And the cities will be to you+ for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer will not die, until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
35:13 And the cities which you+ will give will be for you+ six cities of refuge.
35:14 You+ will give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities you+ will give in the land of Canaan; they will be cities of refuge.
35:15 For the sons of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, will these six cities be for refuge; that everyone who strikes any soul unintentionally may flee there.
35:16 But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death.
35:17 And if he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death.
35:18 Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death.
35:19 The avenger of blood will himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he will put him to death.
35:20 And if he thrusts him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
35:21 or in enmity struck him with his hand, so that he died; he who struck him will surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood will put the murderer to death, when he meets him.
35:22 But if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,
35:23 or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;
35:24 then the congregation will judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;
35:25 and the congregation will deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation will restore him to his city of refuge, where he has fled: and he will dwell in it until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
35:26 But if the manslayer will at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
35:27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slays the manslayer; he will not be guilty of blood,
35:28 because 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 will return into the land of his possession.
35:29 And these things will be for a statute [and] ordinance to you+ throughout your+ generations in all your+ dwellings.
35:30 Whoever strikes any soul, the murderer will be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness will not testify against any soul that he die.
35:31 Moreover you+ will take no ransom for the soul of a murderer, who is guilty of death; but he will surely be put to death.
35:32 And you+ will take no ransom for someone to flee to his city of refuge, to come back to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
35:33 So you+ will not pollute the land in which you+ are: for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.
35:34 And you will not defile the land which you+ inhabit, in the midst of which I stay: for I, Yahweh, stay in the midst of the sons of Israel.