¹ And Jehovah spoke to^▵ Moses in the deserts of Moab by^◦ Jordan near Jericho, saying,

² Command the sons of Israel, that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession^◦, cities to dwell·​·in; and you shall give also to the Levites suburbs^* for the cities all around them.

³ And the cities shall be for them to dwell·​·in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their beasts, and for their acquisition, and for all their animals.

⁴ And the suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall^◦ of the city and outside a thousand cubits all around.

⁵ And you shall measure from outside the city on the east quarter two·​·thousand in cubits, and on the south quarter two·​·thousand in cubits, and on the west^◦ quarter two·​·thousand in cubits, and on the north quarter two·​·thousand in cubits; and the city shall be in the midst; this shall be for them the suburbs of the cities.

⁶ And with^◦ the cities which you shall give to the Levites there shall be six cities of refuge, which you shall give that the manslayer^* may flee thither; and above them you shall give forty and two cities.

⁷ So all the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities, them and their suburbs.

⁸ And the cities which you shall give shall be from the possession^◦ of the sons of Israel; from those with many you shall give many; and from those with few you shall give few; each^◦ shall give from his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which they inherit.

⁹ And Jehovah spoke to^▵ Moses, saying,

¹⁰ Speak to^▵ the sons of Israel, and say to^▵ them, When^◦ you^◦ have crossed·​·over the Jordan to^▫ the land of Canaan,

¹¹ and you shall select^* for yourselves favorable cities, which^* will be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer may flee thither, who smites a soul in ignorance^*.

¹² And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the redeemer, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.

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

¹⁴ You shall give three cities from across the Jordan, and three cities you shall give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.

¹⁵ These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the sojourner, and for the lodger in their midst, that he who smites any soul in ignorance may flee thither.

¹⁶ And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, and he die, he^◦ is a murderer; the murderer dying shall be made to die.

¹⁷ And if he smite him with a stone in hand, with which he could die, and he die, a murderer is he^◦; the murderer dying shall be put·​·to·​·death.

¹⁸ Or if he smite him with a hand weapon^◦ of wood, by which he could die, and he die, a murderer is he^◦; the murderer dying shall be put·​·to·​·death.

¹⁹ The redeemer of blood, he^◦ shall put· the murderer ·to·​·death; when he comes·​·upon him, he^◦ shall put· him ·to·​·death.

²⁰ And if he push him in hatred, or cast him down in stalking him, and he die,

²¹ or in enmity smite him with his hand, and he die; he who smote him dying shall be put·​·to·​·death; for he^◦ is a murderer; the redeemer of blood shall put· the murderer ·to·​·death when he comes·​·upon him.

²² But if he push him suddenly without^▫ enmity, or cast upon him any vessel without^▫ stalking him,

²³ or with any stone, with which he may die, seeing him not, and made it fall upon him, and he die, and he^◦ was not an enemy to him, and sought not his evil;

²⁴ then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the redeemer of blood concerning these judgments;

²⁵ and the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the congregation shall return him to^▵ the city of his refuge, to which he fled; and he shall dwell in her until the death of the great priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ But if the manslayer going·​·out shall go·​·out of the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled,

²⁷ and the redeemer of blood find him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood murder the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood;

²⁸ because^◦ he should have dwelt in the city of his refuge until the death of the great priest; but after the death of the great priest the manslayer shall return into^▵ the land of his possession^◦.

²⁹ And these things shall be for a statute of judgment to you for your generations in all your dwellings.

³⁰ Whoever smites any soul, the murderer shall be murdered at^◦ the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not answer against^◦ a soul to cause him to die.

³¹ And you shall not take atonement for the soul of a murderer, who he^◦, being wicked is to·​·die; but^◦ dying he shall be put·​·to·​·death.

³² And you shall not take atonement for him who has fled to^▵ the city of his refuge, for him to return to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

³³ And you shall not contaminate the land in which you^◦ are, for the blood, it^◦ contaminates the land; and there is no^◦ atonement for the land for the blood that is shed in her, other·​·than by the blood of him who shed it.

³⁴ And defile not the land in which you^◦ shall dwell, in the midst of which I^◦ abide^◦; for I^◦, Jehovah, abide^◦ in the midst of the sons of Israel.

¹ For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob.

² The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in Yahweh's land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

³ It will happen in the day that Yahweh will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,

⁴ that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!"

⁵ Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

⁶ who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.

⁷ The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out song.

⁸ Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us."

⁹ Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

¹⁰ They all will answer and ask you, "Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?"

¹¹ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.

¹² How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!

¹³ You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north!

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!"

¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶ Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;

¹⁷ who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who didn't release his prisoners to their home?"

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.

¹⁹ But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot.

²⁰ You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The seed of evildoers will not be named forever.

²¹ Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface of the world with cities.

²² "I will rise up against them," says Yahweh of Armies, "and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son," says Yahweh.

²³ "I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says Yahweh of Armies.

²⁴ Yahweh of Armies has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

²⁵ that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.

²⁶ This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

²⁷ For Yahweh of Armies has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

²⁸ This burden was in the year that king Ahaz died.

²⁹ Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent's root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery flying serpent.

³⁰ The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.

³¹ Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

³² What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.