New International Version NIV
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,
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5 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho, saying,
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.
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Command the Bnei Yisroel, that they give unto the Levi’im from the nachalah of their achuzzah towns to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levi’im open pasturelands around the towns.
3 Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals.
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And the towns shall they have to dwell in; and the open pasturelands of them shall be for their behemah, and for their livestock, and for all their animals.
4 “The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the town wall.
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And the open pasturelands of the towns, which ye shall give unto the Levi’im, shall reach from the wall of the Ir and outward a thousand cubits all around.
5 Outside 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.
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And ye shall measure from outside the Ir on the east side 2000 cubits, and on the south side 2000 cubits, and on the west side 2000 cubits, and on the north side 2000 cubits; and the Ir shall be in the midst; this shall be to them the open pasturelands of the towns.
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.
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And among the towns which ye shall give unto the Levi’im there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the rotze’ach, that he may flee to there; and to them ye shall add 42 ir.
7 In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands.
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So all the arim (towns) which ye shall give to the Levi’im shall be 48 ir: them shall ye give with their migrashim (open pasturelands).
8 The 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.”
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And the arim (towns) which ye shall give shall be of the achuzzat Bnei Yisroel; from them that have many ye shall give more; but from them that have few ye shall give less; every one shall give of his arim unto the Levi’im according to his nachalah which he inheriteth.
9 Then the LORD said to Moses:
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And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,
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Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, When ye be come over the Yarden into Eretz Kena’an,
11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.
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Then ye shall appoint you arim to be arei miklat (cities of refuge) for you; that the rotze’ach may flee to there, which killeth any nefesh bishegagah (unintentionally, accidently).
12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.
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And they shall be unto you arei miklat (cities of refuge) from the Go’el; that the rotze’ach die not, until he stand before the Edah in mishpat.
13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.
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And of these arim which ye shall give there shall be shesh arei miklat.
14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.
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Ye shall give shlosh he’arim on this side of the Yarden, and shlosh he’arim shall ye give in Eretz Kena’an, which shall be arei miklat.
15 These 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.
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These shesh he’arim shall be for miklat (refuge), both for the Bnei Yisroel, and for the ger, and for the toshav (sojourner) among them; that every one that killeth any nefesh bishegagah (unintentionally, accidently) may flee there.
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.
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And if he strike him with keli barzel, so that he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
17 Or 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.
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And if he strike him with an even (stone) in his yad that could kill, and he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
18 Or 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.
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Or if he strike him with a keli in his hand that could kill, and he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.
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The Go’el HaDahm himself shall slay the rotze’ach; when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die
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And if he push him out of sin’ah (hatred), or hurl upon him bitzediyyah (with intention, by laying in wait) that he die;
21 or 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.
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Or in eivah (enmity) strike him with his yad, that he die; he that struck him shall surely be put to death; for he is a rotze’ach; the Go’el HaDahm shall slay the rotze’ach, when he meeteth him.
22 “ ‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally
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But if he push him suddenly without eivah (enmity), or have thrown upon him any keli with no tzediyyah (intention, laying in wait),
23 or, 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,
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Or with any even (stone), that could kill, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his oyev, neither sought his ra’ah,
24 the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations.
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Then the Edah shall judge between the striker and the Go’el HaDahm according to these mishpatim;
25 The 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.
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And the Edah shall deliver the rotze’ach out of the yad Goel HaDahm, and the Edah shall restore him to his ir miklat, to which he fled; and he shall abide in it unto the mot HaKohen HaGadol which was mashach (anointed) with the shemen hakodesh [T.N. Notice there is freedom at the death of the High Priest just as there is peace at the death of the Moshiach Kohen; cf Isa 53:5-9; Ps 110:4).
26 “ ‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled
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But if the rotze’ach shall at any time come outside the border of the ir miklat to which he fled;
27 and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder.
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And the Go’el HaDahm find him outside the geval (borders, city limit) of his ir miklat, and the Go’el HaDahm kill the rotze’ach, he shall not be guilty of dahm,
28 The 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.
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Because he should have remained in his ir miklat until the mot HaKohen HaGadol; but after the mot HaKohen HaGadol the rotze’ach shall return into his eretz achuzzat.
29 “ ‘This is to have the force of law for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live.
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So these things shall be for a chukkat mishpat unto you throughout your dorot in all your dwellings.
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.
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Whosoever killeth any nefesh, the rotze’ach shall be put to death by the mouth of edim (witnesses); but ed echad (one witness) shall not testify against any nefesh to cause him to die.
31 “ ‘Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.
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Moreover ye shall take no kofer (ransom payment, satisfaction) for the nefesh of a rotze’ach, which is guilty of death; but he shall be surely put to death.
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.
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And ye shall take no kofer for him that is fled to his ir miklat that he should come again to dwell in HaAretz until the mot HaKohen.
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.
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So ye shall not pollute HaAretz wherein ye are; for dahm pollutes HaAretz; and kapporah cannot be made for HaAretz for the shefach dahm therein, except by the dahm of him that committed shefach dahm (shedding of blood).
34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.’ ”
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Therefore, make not tameh HaAretz which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell; for I Hashem dwell among the Bnei Yisroel.
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The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.