Bamidbar 35

1. And Hashem spoke unto Moshe in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho, saying,

2. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

10. Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, When ye be come over the Yarden into Eretz Kena’an,

11. 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. 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. And of these arim which ye shall give there shall be shesh arei miklat.

14. 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 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. 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. 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 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 Go’el HaDahm himself shall slay the rotze’ach; when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

20. 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 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 he push him suddenly without eivah (enmity), or have thrown upon him any keli with no tzediyyah (intention, laying in wait),

23. 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. Then the Edah shall judge between the striker and the Go’el HaDahm according to these mishpatim;

25. 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 rotze’ach shall at any time come outside the border of the ir miklat to which he fled;

27. 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. 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. So these things shall be for a chukkat mishpat unto you throughout your dorot in all your dwellings.

30. 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. 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. 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. 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. Therefore, make not tameh HaAretz which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell; for I Hashem dwell among the Bnei Yisroel.