1 And Jehovah 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 possessions, and you shall also give the Levites common land around the cities.3 They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals.4 The common land of the cities which you shall give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around.5 And 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 be to them as common land for the cities.6 And among the cities which you shall 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.7 So all the cities you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common lands.8 And the cities which you shall 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, according to the inheritance that each receives.9 And Jehovah 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,11 then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any soul accidentally may flee there.12 They shall be cities of refuge for you from the kinsman avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.13 And out 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 shall be cities of refuge.15 These 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 soul accidentally may flee there.16 But if he strikes him with an implement of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be executed to death.17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be executed to death.18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden implement in the hand, by which one could die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be executed to death.19 The kinsman 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 has thrown something at him, so that he dies,21 or in enmity he has struck him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall be executed to death. He is a murderer. The kinsman avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.22 However, if he has pushed him suddenly without enmity, or has thrown anything at him without lying in wait,23 or a stone, by which a man could die, which falls on him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm;24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the kinsman avenger of blood according to these judgments.25 Thus the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the kinsman 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.26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the borders of the city of refuge where he fled,27 and the kinsman avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of his city of refuge, and the kinsman avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,28 because 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 shall 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.30 Whoever kills a soul, the murderer shall be put to death at the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against a soul for him to die.31 Moreover you shall take no ransom for the soul of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be executed to death.32 And you shall take no ransom for him to flee to his city of refuge, to return to dwell in the land until the death of the priest.33 Thus you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood pollutes 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 sheds it.34 Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I, Jehovah, dwell among the children of Israel.

1 And the Lord spak these thingis to Moises, in the feeldi places of Moab, aboue Jordan,2 ayens Jericho, Comaunde thou to the sones of Israel, that thei yyue to dekenes of her possessiouns,3 citees to dwelle, and the suburbabis of tho bi cumpas, that thei dwelle in `the citees, and the suburbabis be to beestis, and `werk beestis;4 whiche suburbabis schulen be strecchid forth fro the wallis of citees with outforth `bi cumpas, in the space of a thousynde paacis;5 ayens the eest schulen be two thousynde cubitis, and ayens the south in lijk manere schulen be two thousynde cubitis, and at the see that biholdith to the west schal be the same mesure, and the north coost schal be endid bi euene terme. And the citees schulen be in the myddis, and the suburbabis with outforth.6 Forsothe of tho citees whiche ye schulen yyue to dekenes, sixe schulen be departid in to helpis of fugityues, `ether of fleynge men, that he that schedde blood, fle to tho; and outakun these sixe, ye schulen yyue to dekenes othere two and fourti citees,7 that is, togidere eiyte and fourti, with her surburbabis.8 And tho citees that schulen be youun of the possessiouns of sones of Israel, schulen be takun awey, mo fro hem that han more, and fewere `schulen be takun awey fro hem that han lesse, alle bi hem silf schulen yyue bi the mesure of her eritage, citees to dekenes.9 The Lord seide to Moises,10 Spek thou to the sones of Israel, and thou schalt seie to hem, Whanne ye han passid Jordan, in the lond of Canaan,11 deme ye whiche citees owen to be in to the helpis of fugityues, whiche not wilfuli han sched blood.12 In whiche whanne the fleere hath fled, the kynesman of hym that is slayn, schal not mow sle hym, til he stonde in the siyt of the multitude, and the cause of hym be demed.13 Forsothe of tho citees that ben departid to the helpis of fugityues,14 thre schulen be ouer Jordan, and thre in the lond of Canaan;15 as wel to the sones of Israel as to comelyngis and pilgryms; that he fle to tho citees, that schedde blood not wilfuli.16 If ony man smytith a man with yrun, and he that is smytun is deed, `the smyter schal be gilti of mansleyng, and he schal die.17 If he castith a stoon, and a man is deed bi the strook, he schal be punyschid in lijk maner.18 If a man smytun with a staf dieth, he schal be vengid bi `the blood of the smytere.19 The niy kynesman of hym that is slayn schal sle the mansleere; anoon as he takith hym, `that is, the manquellere, he schal sle hym.20 If bi haterede a man hurtlith, `ethir schoufith, `a man, ethir castith ony thing in to hym bi aspiyngis,21 ether whanne he was enemy, smoot with hond, and he is deed, the smytere schal be gilti of mansleyng. The kynesman `of him that is slayn, anoon as he findith him, `that is, the sleere, schal sle hym.22 That if bi sudeyn caas, and without hatrede and enemytees,23 he doith ony thing of these;24 and this is preued in heryng `of the puple, and the questioun of blood is discussid bitwixe the smytere and the kynesman,25 the innocent schal be delyuered fro the hond of the vengere, and bi sentence of iugis he schal be led ayen in to the citee, to which he fledde, and he schal dwelle there, til the grete preest die, which is anoyntid with oile.26 If the sleere is foundun with out the coostis `of the citees that ben asigned to exilid men,27 and is slayn of him that is vengere, he that sleeth him, `that is, the exilid man, schal be with out gilt;28 for the exilid man ouyte sitte in the citee `til to the `deth of the bischop; forsothe aftir that thilke bischop is deed, the mansleere schal turne ayen in to his lond.29 These schulen be euerlastynge and lawful thingis in alle youre dwellyngis.30 A mansleere schal be punyschid vndur witnessis; no man schal `be dampned at the witnessyng of o man.31 Ye schulen not take prijs of him which is gilti of blood, anoon and he schal die.32 Men exilid, and fugityues, schulen not mow turne ayen in ony maner in to her citees, bifore the deeth of the bischop, lest ye defoulen the lond of youre abitacioun,33 which is defoulid bi the blood of innocent men; and it may not be clensid in other maner, no but bi the blood of hym, that schedde the blood of anothir man.34 And so youre possessioun schal be clensid, for Y schal dwelle with you; for Y am the Lord, that dwelle among the sones of Israel.