Numbers 35

¹Then the Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho.

⁵⁰On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses,

¹³These are the commandments and ordinances that the Lord gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

¹²They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

⁶³These were the ones numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.

³For Moses had given the inheritance east of the Jordan to the other two and a half tribes. But he granted no inheritance among them to the Levites.

⁴The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion of the land was given to the Levites, except for cities in which to live, along with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.

⁸Bordering the territory of Judah, from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary.

³²As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the cities they possess.

³³So whatever belongs to the Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites.

²²So the Levitical property and the city property will lie in the center of the area belonging to the prince—the area between the borders of Judah and Benjamin.

¹“When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the Lord, a holy portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.

²Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square, with 50 cubits around it for open land.

¹⁰Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.

¹¹If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?

²Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square, with 50 cubits around it for open land.

¹⁴For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord.

¹¹They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)

³So by the command of the Lord, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

¹³So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,

³⁸And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,

⁷My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock; my refuge is in God.

⁸Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah

²¹they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,

⁴Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.

⁵I cry to You, O Lord: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

³So by the command of the Lord, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

⁴The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

⁵⁴Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.

⁵⁴Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one; each tribe is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those registered.

⁵⁴And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.

¹Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel

²at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”

¹⁸When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.

¹³It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.

¹⁴At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. This way there will be equality.

⁷Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

²“Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance with these boundaries:

¹When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

²then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

⁹For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.

³⁴“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land,

²“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the Lord.

²“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

³so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

¹³If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

²“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

⁶Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

¹When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

²then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

⁴²to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:

²²But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

²³or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

⁶Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

³so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

⁴When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.

⁹These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

⁷Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”

²⁴then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

²⁵The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

¹⁹The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

⁴¹Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east

⁴²to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:

⁷So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

⁸And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

⁸And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,

⁹and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the Lord your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

¹⁶The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.”

⁴⁹The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”

²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

²⁹Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

²²You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the Lord your God.’”

¹⁷And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death.

¹²Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.

¹³If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

¹¹If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

¹²the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

³⁰If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

³¹You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

⁵And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:

⁶Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.

²²But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

²³or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

¹⁸If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,

¹²the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

⁶Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

³so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

²¹or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.

⁵Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.

¹²You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

¹⁴But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

¹¹If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

¹⁰Amasa was not on guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach and spilled out his intestines on the ground. And Joab did not need to strike him again, for Amasa was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.

²⁷When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

⁸Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

¹Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?”

¹³If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

¹¹designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

⁵Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.

⁵If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

³so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

⁶He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”

¹²You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

⁷Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.

¹⁰The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments.

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,

²⁵Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

²⁶Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

⁶He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”

²⁴and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

²⁵God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

⁶Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

¹⁰Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

²If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.

¹⁵Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

¹⁶In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,

²⁶If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains,

²⁷but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.

¹¹But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation.

¹²He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

⁴It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,

⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age—

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

⁴Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

⁵I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

¹¹And if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the next of kin from his clan, that he may take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites, as the Lord has commanded Moses.’”

¹Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached

²⁸Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁶But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’

¹⁵A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹This is the third time I am coming to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

¹⁷Even in your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.

¹⁸I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”

¹⁹Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

²⁸When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

²⁹It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and is now beside the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁴But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

⁵And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:

⁶Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.

¹³Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.

¹¹If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

¹²the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

²¹I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

¹²Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

¹⁰All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

¹¹Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

⁹And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

²²But the Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.

⁵⁰As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world,

⁵¹from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.

³⁸They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

⁶Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.

²¹For behold, the Lord is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.

³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

³²Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.

²Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.

³Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

³You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”

²¹Blessed be the Lord from Zion—He who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

²⁷But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

¹⁶What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

¹⁷“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

¹³And I will dwell among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.”

⁴⁵Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.

⁴⁶And they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.