New Revised Standard NRS
King James Version KJV
1 In the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
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And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2 Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance that they possess, towns for the Levites to live in; you shall also give to the Levites pasture lands surrounding the towns.
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Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.
3 The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle, for their livestock, and for all their animals.
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And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4 The pasture lands of the towns, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the town outward a thousand cubits all around.
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And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5 You shall measure, outside the town, for the east side two thousand cubits, for the south side two thousand cubits, for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, with the town in the middle; this shall belong to them as pasture land for their towns.
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And ye shall measure from without 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; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6 The towns that you give to the Levites shall include the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit a slayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two towns.
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And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
7 The towns that you give to the Levites shall total forty-eight, with their pasture lands.
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So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
8 And as for the towns that you shall give from the possession of the Israelites, 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 obtains, shall give of its towns to the Levites.
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And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.
9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak to the Israelites, and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
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Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
11 then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, so that a slayer who kills a person without intent may flee there.
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Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, so that the slayer may not die until there is a trial before the congregation.
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And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
13 The cities that you designate shall be six cities of refuge for you:
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And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14 you shall designate three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.
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Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall serve as refuge for the Israelites, for the resident or transient alien among them, so that anyone who kills a person without intent may flee there.
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These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.
16 But anyone who strikes another with an iron object, and death ensues, is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.
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And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
17 Or anyone who strikes another with a stone in hand that could cause death, and death ensues, is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.
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And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18 Or anyone who strikes another with a weapon of wood in hand that could cause death, and death ensues, is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.
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Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 The avenger of blood is the one who shall put the murderer to death; when they meet, the avenger of blood shall execute the sentence.
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The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 Likewise, if someone pushes another from hatred, or hurls something at another, lying in wait, and death ensues,
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But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
21 or in enmity strikes another with the hand, and death ensues, then the one who struck the blow shall 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 enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.
22 But if someone pushes another suddenly without enmity, or hurls any object without lying in wait,
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But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
23 or, while handling any stone that could cause death, unintentionally drops it on another and death ensues, though they were not enemies, and no harm was intended,
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Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
24 then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these ordinances;
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Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
25 and the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the avenger of blood. Then the congregation shall send the slayer back to the original city of refuge. The slayer shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
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And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time go outside the bounds of the original city of refuge,
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But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
27 and is found by the avenger of blood outside the bounds of the city of refuge, and is killed by the avenger, no bloodguilt shall be incurred.
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And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:
28 For the slayer must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high priest the slayer may return home.
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Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
29 These things shall be a statute and ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.
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So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 If anyone kills another, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness.
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Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
31 Moreover you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is subject to the death penalty; a murderer must be put to death.
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Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
32 Nor shall you accept ransom for one who has fled to a city of refuge, enabling the fugitive to return to live in the land before the death of the high priest.
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And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
33 You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
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So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the Israelites.
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Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The King James Version is in the public domain.