1 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 (or 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, (or 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 (or 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, (or 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.)