The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 Then God spoke to Moses on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho:
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While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,
2 "Command the People of Israel to give the Levites as their part of the total inheritance towns to live in. Make sure there is plenty of pasture around the towns.
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“Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands.
3 Then they will be well taken care of with towns to live in and pastures for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.
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These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.
4 "The pasture surrounding the Levites' towns is to extend 1,500 feet in each direction from the city wall.
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The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet from the town walls in every direction.
5 The outside borders of the pasture are to measure three thousand feet on each of the four sides - east, south, west, and north - with the town at the center. Each city will be supplied with pasture.
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Measure off 3,000 feet outside the town walls in every direction—east, south, west, north—with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.
6 "Six of these towns that you give the Levites will be asylum-cities to which anyone who accidentally kills another person may flee for asylum. In addition, you will give them forty-two other towns -
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“Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns.
7 forty-eight towns in all, together with their pastures.
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In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites.
8 The towns that you give the Levites from the common inheritance of the People of Israel are to be taken in proportion to the size of each tribe - many towns from a tribe that has many, few from a tribe that has few."
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These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”
9 God spoke to Moses:
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The LORD said to Moses,
10 "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When you cross the River Jordan into the country of Canaan,
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“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11 designate your asylum-cities, towns to which a person who accidentally kills someone can flee for asylum.
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designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally.
12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger so that the alleged murderer won't be killed until he can appear before the community in court.
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These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community.
13 Provide six asylum-cities.
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Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves,
14 Designate three of the towns to the east side of the Jordan, the other three in Canaan proper - asylum-cities
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three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan.
15 for the People of Israel, for the foreigner, and for any occasional visitors or guests - six asylum-cities to run to for anyone who accidentally kills another.
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These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.
16 "But if the killer has used an iron object, that's just plain murder; he's obviously a murderer and must be put to death.
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“But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed.
17 "Or if he has a rock in his hand big enough to kill and the man dies, that's murder; he's a murderer and must be put to death.
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Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.
18 "Or if he's carrying a wooden club heavy enough to kill and the man dies, that's murder; he's a murderer and must be put to death.
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Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.
19 "In such cases the avenger has a right to kill the murderer when he meets him - he can kill him on the spot.
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The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death.
20 "And if out of sheer hatred a man pushes another or from ambush throws something at him and he dies,
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So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder.
21 or angrily hits him with his fist and kills him, that's murder - he must be put to death. The avenger has a right to kill him when he gets him.
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Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.
22 "If, however, he impulsively pushes someone and there is no history of hard feelings, or he impetuously picks up something and throws it,
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“But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,
23 or he accidentally drops a stone tool - a maul or hammer, say - and it hits and kills someone he didn't even know was there, and there's no suspicion that there was bad blood between them,
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or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies.
24 the community is to judge between the killer and the avenger following these guidelines.
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If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative:
25 It's the task of the community to save the killer from the hand of the avenger - the community is to return him to his asylum-city to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the High Priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
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The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.
26 But if the murderer leaves the asylum-city to which he has fled,
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“But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge,
27 and the avenger finds him outside the borders of his asylum-city, the avenger has a right to kill the murderer. And he's not considered guilty of murder.
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and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder.
28 "So it's important that he stay in his asylum-city until the death of the High Priest. After the death of the High Priest he is free to return to his own place.
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The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property.
29 "These are the procedures for making judgments from now on, wherever you live.
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These are legal requirements for you to observe from generation to generation, wherever you may live.
30 "Anyone who kills another may be executed only on the testimony of eyewitnesses. But no one can be executed on the testimony of only one witness.
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“All murderers must be put to death, but only if evidence is presented by more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
31 "Don't accept bribe money in exchange for the life of a murderer. He's guilty and deserves the death penalty. Put him to death.
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Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death.
32 "And don't accept bribe money for anyone who has fled to an asylum-city so as to permit him to go back and live in his own place before the death of the High Priest.
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And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest.
33 "Don't pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can't be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.
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This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.
34 "Don't desecrate the land in which you live. I live here too - I, God, live in the same neighborhood with the People of Israel."
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You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the LORD, who lives among the people of Israel.”
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.