Bible in Basic English
For the children of Israel and for the man from another country who is living among them, these six towns are to be safe places, where anyone causing the death of another through error may go in flight.
But if a man gives another man a blow with an iron instrument, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
Or if he gives him a blow with a stone in his hand, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.
If in his hate he put a sword through him, or waiting secretly for him sent a spear or stone at him, causing his death;
Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.
But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him,
Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil:
Then let the meeting of the people be judge between the man responsible for the death and him who has the right of punishment for blood, acting by these rules:
And let the people keep the man responsible for the death safe from the hands of him who has the right of punishment for blood, and send him back to his safe town where he had gone in flight: there let him be till the death of the high priest who was marked with the holy oil.
But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight,
And the giver of punishment, meeting him outside the walls of the town, puts him to death, he will not be responsible for his blood:
Because he had been ordered to keep inside the safe town till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the taker of life may come back to the place of his heritage.
These rules are to be your guide in judging through all your generations wherever you may be living.
Anyone causing the death of another is himself to be put to death on the word of witnesses: but the word of one witness is not enough.
Further, no price may be given for the life of one who has taken life and whose right reward is death: he is certainly to be put to death.
And no price may be offered for one who has gone in flight to a safe town, for the purpose of letting him come back to his place before the death of the high priest.
So do not make the land where you are living unholy: for blood makes the land unholy: and there is no way of making the land free from the blood which has come on it, but only by the death of him who was the cause of it.
Do not make unclean the land where you are living and in which is my House: for I the Lord am present among the children of Israel.
— Numbers 35:15-1964, Bible in Basic English
“For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that every one that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither. But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died, or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meeteth him. But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without lying in wait, or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm; then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth, and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood, 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 into the land of his possession. And these things shall be for a statuteandordinance unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die. Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death. And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Jehovah, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel. ”
In these towns you may be safe from him who has the right of punishment; so that death may not overtake the taker of life till he has been judged by the meeting of the people.
Six of the towns which you give will be such safe places;
Three on the other side of Jordan and three in the land of Canaan, to be safe places for flight.
For the children of Israel and for the man from another country who is living among them, these six towns are to be safe places, where anyone causing the death of another through error may go in flight.
But if a man gives another man a blow with an iron instrument, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
Or if he gives him a blow with a stone in his hand, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.
If in his hate he put a sword through him, or waiting secretly for him sent a spear or stone at him, causing his death;
Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.
But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him,
Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil:
Then let the meeting of the people be judge between the man responsible for the death and him who has the right of punishment for blood, acting by these rules:
And let the people keep the man responsible for the death safe from the hands of him who has the right of punishment for blood, and send him back to his safe town where he had gone in flight: there let him be till the death of the high priest who was marked with the holy oil.
But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight,
And the giver of punishment, meeting him outside the walls of the town, puts him to death, he will not be responsible for his blood:
Because he had been ordered to keep inside the safe town till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the taker of life may come back to the place of his heritage.
These rules are to be your guide in judging through all your generations wherever you may be living.
Anyone causing the death of another is himself to be put to death on the word of witnesses: but the word of one witness is not enough.
Further, no price may be given for the life of one who has taken life and whose right reward is death: he is certainly to be put to death.
And no price may be offered for one who has gone in flight to a safe town, for the purpose of letting him come back to his place before the death of the high priest.
So do not make the land where you are living unholy: for blood makes the land unholy: and there is no way of making the land free from the blood which has come on it, but only by the death of him who was the cause of it.
Do not make unclean the land where you are living and in which is my House: for I the Lord am present among the children of Israel.