35
Cities for the Levites
1And the Lord spoke to Moses in ⚓the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying:
2⚓“Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites ⚓common-land around the cities.
3They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals.
4The common-land of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around.
5And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land for the cities.
6“Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint⚓six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities.
7So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be⚓forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land.
8And the cities which you will give shall be⚓from the possession of the children of Israel; ⚓from the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.”
Cities of Refuge
9Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ⚓‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11then ⚓you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there.
12⚓They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.
13And of the cities which you give, you shall have ⚓six cities of refuge.
14⚓You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge.
15These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, ⚓for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.
16⚓‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
17And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19⚓The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20⚓If he pushes him out of hatred or, ⚓while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies,
21or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22‘However, if he pushes him suddenly ⚓without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait,
23or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm,
24then ⚓the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.
25So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and ⚓he shall remain there until the death of the high priest ⚓who was anointed with the holy oil.
26But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,
27and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,
28because 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 may return to the land of his possession.
29‘And these things shall be ⚓a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the ⚓testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.
31Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.
32And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.
33So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood ⚓defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except ⚓by the blood of him who shed it.
34Therefore ⚓do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for ⚓I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”
35
Tej Nroog uas Muab rau cov Levis
1Thaum tseem nyob hauv lub tiaj ntawm tus Dej Yauladees uas ncaj lub nroog Yelikaus, tus TSWV hais rau Mauxes hais tias,
2“Koj cia li hais rau cov Yixalayees kom lawv muab tej av uas lawv tau los ua lawv tug lawm, qee lub nroog thiab tej tshav zaub uas nyob ibncig ntawm tej nroog ntawd rau cov Levis nyob.
3Tej nroog ntawd yuav ua cov Levis tug, thiab lawv yuav nyob qhov ntawd mus li. Tej tshav zaub los yuav ua tshav rau lawv tej nyuj thiab lwm yam tsiaj huv tibsi.
4Lub tshav zaub pib ntawm tus ntsa yeej mus kom ib sab twg muaj ob puas tsib caug daj,
5yog li ntawd, nej ntsuas kom dav xwmfab xwmmeem, ib meem twg kom muaj tsib puas daj, thiaj txaus ua lub nroog rau hauv plawv.
6Nej yuav tsum muab rau lub nroog rau cov Levis, cia rau cov neeg tua neeg tau khiav mus cawm siav. Nej yuav tsum muab plaub caug ob lub nroog ntxiv rau lawv thiab,
7tagnrho kom muaj plaub caug yim lub nroog, nrog rau lawv tej tshav tsiaj huv tibsi.
8Cov nroog uas cov Yixalayees muab ua cov Levis tug, tej xeem coob muab ntau lub nroog rau, tej xeem tsawg muab tsawg lub nroog rau.”
Cov Nroog Cawm Siav
(2 Kevcai 19.1-13; Yausuas 20.1-9)
16-18“Yog leejtwg lossis ib tug neeg twg siv tej cuabyeej uas yog hlau lossis pobzeb lossis ntoo tua ib tug neeg tuag, nws yog tus muaj txim tua neeg thiab yuav tsum muab nws tua kom tuag pauj tus ntawd.
19Tus tuag ntawd cov kwvtij txheeb ze muab tus txivneej uas tua neeg ntawd tua kom tuag. Thaum nws nrhiav tau tus neeg ntawd, ces nws cia li muab tua kom tuag.
20“Yog tus txivneej twg ntxub luag thiab muab tus ntawd tua uas yog muab nws thawb ntog lossis muab ib yam dabtsi ntaus tus ntawd tuag,
21lossis yog muab nrig ntaus, nws yog tus muaj txim tua neeg thiab cia li muab nws ntaus kom tuag. Tus tuag ntawd tus kwvtij txheeb ze muab tus txivneej uas tua neeg ntawd tua kom tuag. Thaum nws nrhiav tau tus uas tua neeg ntawd, nws cia li muab ntaus kom tuag.
22“Tiamsis yog tus txivneej twg tua ib tug neeg twg tuag uas tsis yog nws tus yeebncuab, tsis hais muab thawb ntog lossis txawb tej yam dabtsi mus raug tuag.
23Lossis yog tus txivneej ntawd tsis ua tib zoo saib, nws txawb pobzeb mus raug ib tug neeg twg tuag uas tsis yog nws tus yeebncuab, thiab tsis yog nws txhob txwm ntaus.
24Yog muaj tej plaub ntug zoo li hais no, cia cov pejxeem ua cov txiav txim rau tus uas tua neeg tuag ntawd kom raws li lawv pom zoo, mas tsis pub ua raws li tus neeg tuag ntawd cov kwvtij xav ua pauj.
25Cov pejxeem uas tuaj tu plaub, yuav tsum tau pab tus neeg uas tua neeg ntawd kom dim ntawm tus tuag cov kwvtij uas yuav muab nws tua pauj, thiab lawv muab nws tso rov qab mus rau hauv lub nroog cawm siav uas nws khiav mus nkaum. Nws yuav tsum mus nyob hauv, tos txog thaum tus Povthawj Hlob uas muab roj pleev thiab txhawb meejthawj tuag lawm tso, nws mam rov qab los.
26Yog tus txivneej uas tua neeg ntawd cia li txhob txwm tawm hauv lub nroog cawm siav uas nws khiav mus nkaum ntawd,
27thiab yog tus tuag ntawd cov kwvtij pom nws thiab muab nws tua tuag lawm, ces qhov ua pauj li ntawd tsis yog txim tua neeg.
28Tus txivneej uas tua neeg ntawd yuav tsum nyob twjywm hauv lub nroog cawm siav mus txog thaum tus Povthawj Hlob tuag lawm, tom qab ntawd nws mam rov los tsev tau.
29Txoj kevcai tswjhwm no muab cob rau koj thiab koj cov xeebntxwv uas yuav faib mus nyob txhua txhia qhov chaw.
30“Yog leejtwg lam tau lam tua neeg, yuav tsum muab tus ntawd tua povtseg, yog hais tias muaj ob leeg lossis coob tshaj ntawd ua timkhawv; yog muaj ib tug ua timkhawv xwb, tej lus timkhawv tsis tau txaus muab tus neeg ntawd tua povtseg.
31Leejtwg tua neeg, yuav tsum muab nws tua pauj. Muab nyiaj txhiv nws lub txim tua neeg ntawd tsis tau.
32Yog tus neeg ntawd khiav mus nkaum rau hauv lub nroog cawm siav lawm, tsis txhob cia nws them nyiaj kom muab nws tso rov los tsev ua ntej uas tus Povthawj Hlob tuag.
33Yog nej ua li no ces yog nej txhob txwm ua kom lub tebchaws uas nej nyob ntawd tsis huv. Tua neeg tuag ua rau lub tebchaws tsis huv, thiab tsis muaj ib yam dabtsi yuav ntxuav tau kom lub tebchaws no huv, tsuas yog muab tus neeg tua neeg ntawd tua povtseg nkaus xwb.
34Nej tsis txhob ua rau lub tebchaws tsis huv, rau qhov kuv yog nej tus TSWV thiab kuv nrog nraim haivneeg Yixalayees nyob.”