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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 35
Levites to posses their own cities—Cities of refuge established for
those guilty of manslaughter—Murderers shall be executed by the
revenger of blood.
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1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto
the aLevites of the inheritance of their possession cities
to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites
bsuburbs for the cities round about them.
3 And the cities shall they have to
adwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their
cattle, and for their bgoods, and for all their beasts.
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4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5 And ye shall measure from awithout
the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two
thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north
side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst:
this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
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6 And among the cities which ye shall give unto the
Levites there shall be six cities for arefuge, which
ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the
aLevites shall be forty and eight cities: them
shall ye give with their suburbs.
8 And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.
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9 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of
refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person
aat unawares.
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12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from
athe avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand
before the congregation in judgment.
13 And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14 Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
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15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both
for the children of Israel, and for the astranger, and for
the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may
flee thither.
16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so
that he die, he is a murderer: the amurderer shall
surely be put to bdeath.
17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
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18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 The arevenger of blood himself
shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
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20 But if he athrust him of hatred,
or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.
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22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or
ahave cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out
of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him
to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto
the death of the ahigh priest, which was anointed with the
holy oil.
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26 But if the slayer shall at any time come
awithout the border of the city of his refuge, whither he
was fled;
27 And the revenger of blood find him without the
borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood
akill the slayer; he shall not be bguilty
of blood:
28 Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
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29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 Whoso killeth any person, the
amurderer shall be put to bdeath by the
mouth of cwitnesses: but one witness shall not
testify against any persona
to cause him to die.
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30a but one witness shall not testify
against any person This means that if there be but one witness
only then the law of witnesses has not been met and the testimony of one
witness only will not stand. There must be more than one witness for it wo
be legally considered and in effect. That is in the mouth of two or three
witnesses shall every thing be established. This is the Lord's law of
witnesses whether in civil matters or in religeous matters it is the same.
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31 Moreover ye shall take no
asatisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is
bguilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
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33 So ye shall not apollute the
land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and
bthe land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed
therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
34 aDefile not therefore the land
which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell
bamong the children of Israel.
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