Liber Numeri, 35

1. Haec quoque locutus est Do minus ad Moysen in campe stribus Moab supra Iordanem contra Iericho:

1. The LORD said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho,

2. “Praecipe filiis Israel, ut dent Levitis de possessionibus suis urbes ad habitandum et suburbana earum per circuitum,

2. "Command the people of Israel, that they give to the Levites, from the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands round about the cities.

3. ut ipsi in oppidis maneant, et suburbana sint pecoribus ac substantiae et omnibus animalibus eorum;

3. The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts.

4. quae a muris civitatum forinsecus per circuitum mille cubitos spatio tendentur.

4. The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all round.

5. Et mensurabitis extra civitatem contra orientem duo milia cubitorum, et contra meridiem similiter duo milia, ad mare quoque, quod respicit ad occidentem, eadem mensura erit, et septentrionalis plaga aequali termino finietur; eruntque urbes in medio et foris suburbana.

5. And you shall measure, outside the city, for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle; this shall belong to them as pasture land for their cities.

6. De ipsis autem oppidis, quae Levitis dabitis, sex erunt in fugitivorum auxilia separata, ut fugiat ad ea, qui nesciens fuderit sanguinem; et, exceptis his, alia quadraginta duo oppida dabitis,

6. The cities which you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.

7. id est simul quadraginta octo cum suburbanis suis.

7. All the cities which you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasture lands.

8. Ipsaeque urbes, quas dabitis de possessionibus filiorum Israel, ab his, qui plus habent, plures auferetis, et, qui minus, pauciores; singuli iuxta mensuram hereditatis suae dabunt oppida Levitis”.

8. And as for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance which it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites."

9. Ait Dominus ad Moysen:

9. And the LORD said to Moses,

10. “Loquere filiis Israel et dices ad eos: Quando transgressi fueritis Iordanem in terram Chanaan,

10. "Say to the people of Israel, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11. eligetis urbes, quae esse debeant in praesidia fugitivorum, qui nolentes sanguinem fuderint;

11. then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.

12. erunt vobis urbes refugii contra ultorem, et occisor non morietur, donec stet in conspectu congregationis, et causa illius iudicetur.

12. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13. De ipsis autem sex urbibus, quae ad fugitivorum subsidia separantur,

13. And the cities which you give shall be your six cities of refuge.

14. tres erunt trans Iordanem et tres in terra Chanaan,

14. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.

15. tam filiis Israel quam advenis atque peregrinis, ut confugiat ad eas sex, qui nolens sanguinem fuderit.

15. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that any one who kills any person without intent may flee there.

16. Si quis ferro percusserit, et mortuus fuerit, qui percussus est, reus erit homicidii et ipse morietur.

16. "But if he struck him down with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.

17. Si lapidem mortiferum iecerit, et ictus occiderit, similiter punietur.

17. And if he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.

18. Si ligno mortifero percusserit eum et interfecerit, homicida est; ipse morte punietur.

18. Or if he struck him down with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.

19. Ultor sanguinis homicidam interficiet: statim ut apprehenderit eum, interficiet.

19. The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20. Si per odium quis hominem impulerit vel iecerit quippiam in eum per insidias

20. And if he stabbed him from hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,

21. aut, cum esset inimicus, manu percusserit, et ille mortuus fuerit, percussor homicidii reus erit: ultor sanguinis statim ut invenerit eum, iugulabit.

21. or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death; he is a murderer; the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meets him.

22. Quod si fortuitu et absque odio eum percusserit vel quidpiam in eum iecerit absque insidiis,

22. "But if he stabbed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait,

23. vel quemlibet lapidem mortiferum in eum devolverit, cum eum non vidisset, et ille mortuus est, quamvis eum non oderit nec quaesierit ei malum,

23. or used a stone, by which a man may die, and without seeing him cast it upon him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy, and did not seek his harm;

24. iudicabit congregatio inter percussorem et ultorem sanguinis secundum has regulas

24. then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these ordinances;

25. et liberabit occisorem de manu ultoris sanguinis et reducet in civitatem refugii, ad quam confugerat, manebitque ibi, donec sacerdos magnus, qui oleo sancto unctus est, moriatur.

25. and the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

26. Si interfector extra fines civitatis refugii, in quam confugerat, exierit,

26. But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the bounds of his city of refuge to which he fled,

27. et invenerit eum ultor sanguinis ibi et interfecerit, absque noxa erit, qui eum occiderit;

27. and the avenger of blood finds him outside the bounds of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slays the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.

28. debuerat enim profugus usque ad mortem pontificis in civitate refugii residere. Postquam autem ille obierit, homicida revertetur in terram suam.

28. For the man must remain 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. Haec erunt vobis in legitima iudicii pro generationibus vestris, in cunctis habitationibus vestris.

29. "And these things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30. Homicida sub testibus occidetur; ad unius testimonium nullus ad mortem condemnabitur.

30. If any one kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses; but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.

31. Non accipietis pretium pro eo, qui reus est sanguinis, sed morietur.

31. Moreover you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death; but he shall be put to death.

32. Neque accipietis pretium, ut fugiat in civitatem refugii sui, ut revertatur et habitet in terra ante mortem sacerdotis.

32. And you shall accept 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 high priest.

33. Non polluetis terram habitationis vestrae, quia sanguis polluit terram, nec aliter expiari potest nisi per eius sanguinem, qui alterius sanguinem fuderit.

33. You shall not thus 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 him who shed it.

34. Non maculabitis terram habitationis vestrae, me commorante vobiscum. Ego enim sum Dominus, qui habito inter filios Israel”.

34. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel."