The Cities Assigned to the Levites
1 In the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites that from the property they receive they must give the Levites some cities to live in and pasture land around the cities. 3 These cities will belong to the Levites, and they will live there. The pasture land will be for their cattle and all their other animals. 4 The pasture land is to extend outward from the city walls five hundred yards in each direction, 5 so that there is a square area measuring one thousand yards on each side, with the city in the middle. 6 You are to give the Levites six cities of refuge to which any of you can escape if you kill someone accidentally. In addition, give them forty-two other cities 7 with their pasture land, making a total of forty-eight. 8 The number of Levite cities in each tribe is to be determined according to the size of its territory.”
The Cities of Refuge
(Deuteronomy 19.1-13Joshua 20.1-9)9 The Lord told Moses 10 to say to the people of Israel: “When you cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan, 11 you are to choose cities of refuge to which any of you can escape if you kill someone accidentally. 12 There you will be safe from the dead person's relative who seeks revenge. No one accused of manslaughter is to be put to death without a public trial. 13 Choose six cities, 14 three east of the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. 15 These will serve as cities of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners who are temporary or permanent residents. Anyone who kills someone accidentally can escape to one of them.
16-18 “If, however, any of you use a weapon of iron or stone or wood to kill someone, you are guilty of murder and are to be put to death. 19 The dead person's nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds you, he is to kill you.
20 “If you hate someone and kill him by pushing him down or by throwing something at him 21 or by striking him with your fist, you are guilty of murder and are to be put to death. The dead person's nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds you, he is to kill you.
22 “But suppose you accidentally kill someone you do not hate, whether by pushing him down or by throwing something at him. 23 Or suppose that, without looking, you throw a stone that kills someone whom you did not intend to hurt and who was not your enemy. 24 In such cases the community shall judge in your favor and not in favor of the dead person's relative who is seeking revenge. 25 You are guilty only of manslaughter, and the community is to rescue you from the dead person's relative, and they are to return you to the city of refuge to which you had escaped. You must live there until the death of the man who is then High Priest. 26 If you leave the city of refuge to which you have escaped 27 and if the dead person's relative finds you and kills you, this act of revenge is not murder. 28 Any of you guilty of manslaughter must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, but after that you may return home. 29 These rules apply to you and your descendants wherever you may live.
30 “Those accused of murder may be found guilty and put to death only on the evidence of two or more witnesses; the evidence of one witness is not sufficient to support an accusation of murder. 31 Murderers must be put to death. They cannot escape this penalty by the payment of money. 32 If they have fled to a city of refuge, do not allow them to make a payment in order to return home before the death of the High Priest. 33 If you did this, you would defile the land where you are living. Murder defiles the land, and except by the death of the murderer there is no way to perform the ritual of purification for the land where someone has been murdered. 34 Do not defile the land where you are living, because I am the Lord and I live among the people of Israel.”
ǃĀdi Leviǁîn ǃaroma
1 Moabǂgāgu ǃnâ, Jordanǃāb ǃoagu Jerixos ǀkhāba xub ge ǃKhūba Moseb ǃoa ge mî: 2 “Israelǁîna mîba, în ǁîn ge ūhâxūse ǃkhōǃoa xūna xu ǀnî ǃādi tsî ǃû-aiǃhūb ǁîdi ǂnamipe hâb tsîna Leviǁîna mā. 3 Nē ǃādi ge nî Leviǁîn di tsî ǁîn xa nî ǁanǃnâhe. ǃÛ-aiǃhūb ge ǁîn di goman tsî nau ǀgoan ǁîn din ǃaroma nî hâ. 4 ǃÛ-aiǃhūb ge ǃās di ǂnubiǂgoaga xu ǃaugabǀkhāb ǁga, mâ ǀkhāb hoab ai hakakaidisi tsî korodisi metergu di ǃnūsiba nî ūhâ, 5 hakaǀkhāxa ǃkhaib khoesekaidisi meterga mâ ǀkhāb hoab ai ūhâb nî ǃāsa ǃnamiǂgāse. 6 ǃNani ǃādi ǃhūsaben nî ǁhaiǁhâǀîse ide du ge Leviǁîna nî mā, î-i khoe-i hîa ǂâibasen tama i hâse nau khoe-e ga ǃgam-e ǁnāǀî ǁhaini ǁkhā. Nē ǃādi xōǀkhā, ǀnî hakadisiǀgamǀa ǃāde ǁîna mā. 7 Nēs ge ǁîn di ǃû-aiǃhūb ǀkha ga ǀhaoǀhaohe, o ǀhaob ai hakadisiǁkhaisaǀa ǃāde nî ǃkhōǂgā. 8 Leviǁîn nî māhe ǃādi ǃgôab ge mâ ǀkharib hoab di kaisiba xu nî ǀnōhe ǁkhā. Kai ǃhaode ǂgui ǃāde tsî ǂkhari ǃhaode ǀoro ǃāde.”
ǁHaiǁhâǀî ǃādi
(Deuteronomium 19:1-13Josua 20:1-9)9 ǃKhūb ge Moseba ge mîba, 10 îb Israelǁîn ǃoa mî: “Jordanǃāba ǃgâu tsî du ga Kanaanǃhūb ǃnâ ǂgâ, 11 o du ge ǁhaiǁhâǀîhe nî ǃādi, khoe-i ga ǂâibasen tama i hâse nau khoe-e a ǃgam, o-i ǁî-e ǁhaiǁhâǀî ǁkhāde nî ǁhûiǂui. 12 ǁNāǀî i ge ǁî-e ǃkhoeni tsî ǂâibasen tama i hâse i go ǃgam khoe-i di ǀaokhoen di ǀkhaoba xu nî ǃnora ǁkhā. Khoe-e ǃgams ǀkha ra ǀhapimāhe khoe-i hoa-i ge ǀhûhâsib aiǃâ i ǀgoraǃgâhe tamas kōse ǃgamhe tide. 13 ǃNani ǃāde ǁhûiǂui, 14 ǃnonade Jordanǃāb di aiǂoasǀkhāb ai tsî nau ǃnonade Kanaanǃhūb ǃnâ. 15 ǁÎdi ge Israelǁîn tsî ǃhaokhoen, ǁaerob ǀguiba tamas ka io hoaǁae ǁanǂgāsaben ase nî hân hoan xa ǁhaiǁhâǀîǃkhaidi ase nî sîsenūhe. Khoe-e ga ǂâibasen tama i hâse ǃgam khoe-i hoa-i ge ǁnā ǃādi ǀguis ǁga a ǁhaiǁhâ ǁkhā.
16-18 “Tari-i ǀgui-i ka xawe i ga ǀuri-i tamas ka io ǀui-i tamas ka io hai-e nau khoe-e ǃgams ǃaroma sîsenū, o i ge ǁî-e ǀhapixa tsî nî ǃgamhe. 19 ǁŌ hâ khoe-i di ǀgūǀaokhoe-i ge ǃgamao-e ǃgams di ǃereamsa ūhâ. ǁÎ-e i ga ǀhao-ū, o-i ge ǁî-e nî ǃgam.
20 “Khoe-i ga ǀnî khoe-e ǁkhan tsî ǁî-e ǂhāǁguis ǀkha tamas ka io ǁî-e xū-i ǀkha ǂnoas ǀkha ǃgam, 21 tamas ka io, ǃoms ǀkha ǁî-e ǂnauǃan, o i ge ǁî-e ǀhapixa tsî nî ǃgamhe. ǁŌ hâ khoe-i di ǀgūǀaokhoe-i ge ǃgamao-e ǃgams di ǃereamsa ūhâ. ǁÎ-e i ga ǀhao-ū, o-i ge ǁî-e nî ǃgam.
22 “Xawe i ga khoe-e ǂâibasen tamase ǁkhan tama i hâ khoe-e ǃgam, ǁî-e ǂhāǁguis ǀkha tamas ka io xū-i ǀkha ǂnoas ǀkha; 23 tamas ka io i ga khoe-e kō tamase ǀui-e ǂnoa tsî i ga ǁî-e ǂâibasen tamase khoe-e hō, ǁî-i khākhoes tsîna ge hî tama hâ i-e, tsî-i ga ǁî-e ǁō, 24 ob ge ǀhûhâsiba ǂâibasen tamase ge nau khoe-e ǃgam khoe-i ǃgâib ǃoa ǀgoraǃgâsa nî dī, ǁō go khoe-i di ǀgūǀaokhoe-i, ǀkhao ǂgao ra-i ǃgâib ǃoas ose. 25 ǀHûhâsib ge ǃgams ǃaroma a ǀhapixa khoe-e, ǃgamhe ge khoe-i di ǀgūǀaokhoen di ǃomga xu huiǂui, tsî ǁî-e ǁhaiǁhâǀîǃās hîa i ge ǁhaiǁhâǀî hâ is ǁga nî oa-ū. ǁÎ-i ge ǁnā ǁaeb ǃnâ ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ hâ ǀgapipristeri nî ǁōs kōse ǁnāpa nî hâ. 26 ǃGams ǃaroma ǀhapixa khoe-i ga ǁhaiǁhâǀî-i ge ǃāsa xu ǃgû, 27 tsîn ga ǁî-i ge ǃgam khoe-i di ǀgūǀaokhoena ǁî-e ǀhao-ū tsî ǃgam, os ge ǁnāti ī ǀkhaosa ǃgams ase ǃgapaǀîhe tide. 28 ǀŪǂamse khoe-e ǃgam tsî a ǀhapixa khoe-i ge ǁhaiǁhâǀî-i go ǃās ǃnâ ǀgapipristeri nî ǁōs kōse nî hâ, xawe i ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ ǁî-i gere hâ ǃās ǁga a ǁaru ǁkhā. 29 Nē ǁgaragu ge sadu tsî sadu surib tsîn ǃaroma, mâpa ǀgui du ga sī hâ, xawe nî sîsenxa.
30 “Nau khoe-e ǃgams ǃaroma ra ǀhapimāhe khoe-i ge ǀgam tamas ka io ǃnāsa khoen di ǀhûǀguis ǀkha ǀgui ǀhapixase hōhe tsî a ǃgamhe ǁkhā; ǀgui khoe-i di ǀhûǀguis ge khoe-e ǃgams ǃaroma ǀhapimās ai ǂâu tama hâ. 31 ǃGamao-i ge nî ǃgamhe. ǁÎ-i ge mari-e matares ǀkha ǃgams di ǁkharaba xu a ǃnora ǁoa. 32 Khoe-i ga ǁhaiǁhâǀîǃās ǁga ǁhaiǁhâ, o-i ge ǁî-e ǁgâus ǁga ǁkhawa oahās ǃaroma mari-e mataresa mā-amhe tide, xawe i ge ǀgapipristeri di ǁōb khaoǃgâ ǀgui nî ǁaruǀkhī. 33 Nēsats ga dī, ots ge ǁanǃnâts hâ ǃhūba ra ǀuriǀuri. ǃGams ge ǃhūba ra ǀuriǀuri, xawe ǃgamao-i di ǃgamhes ose, o-i ge ǃanuǃanus di ǁāxasib di ǂhâbasasi-e ǁnāti ī khoe-i ge ǃgamǃnâhe ǃhūb ǃnâ a ǀkhai. 34 Tā ǁanǃnâts hâ ǃhūba ǀuriǀuri, tita ge ǃKhūta tsî ta Israelǁîn ǁaegu ǁan hâ xuige.”
