Page 287 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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MARCH 19
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judgment. And of the cities which you give,
MARCH 19 you shall have six cities of refuge. You shall
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appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan,
and three cities you shall appoint in the land of
Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. These
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Numbers 35:1–36:13
six cities shall be for refuge for the children of
And the LORD spoke to Moses in the Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner
35 plains of Moab by the Jordan across among them, that anyone who kills a person
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from Jericho, saying: “Command the children accidentally may flee there.
of Israel that they give the Levites cities to 16 ‘But if he strikes him with an iron imple-
dwell in from the inheritance of their posses- ment, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the
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sion, and you shall also give the Levites com- murderer shall surely be put to death. And if
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mon-land around the cities. They shall have he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by
the cities to dwell in; and their common-land which one could die, and he does die, he is a
shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to
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all their animals. The common-land of the death. Or if he strikes him with a wooden
cities which you will give the Levites shall hand weapon, by which one could die, and he
extend from the wall of the city outward a thou- does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall
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sand cubits all around. And you shall measure surely be put to death. The avenger of blood
outside the city on the east side two thousand himself shall put the murderer to death; when
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cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, he meets him, he shall put him to death. If he
on the west side two thousand cubits, and on pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait,
the north side two thousand cubits. The city hurls something at him so that he dies, or in
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shall be in the middle. This shall belong to enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he
them as common-land for the cities. dies, the one who struck him shall surely be
“Now among the cities which you will give put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of
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to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of blood shall put the murderer to death when he
refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to meets him.
these you shall add forty-two cities. So all the 22 ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly with-
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cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty- out enmity, or throws anything at him without
eight; these you shall give with their common- lying in wait, or uses a stone, by which a man
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land. And the cities which you will give shall could die, throwing it at him without seeing
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be from the possession of the children of him, so that he dies, while he was not his
Israel; from the larger tribe you shall give enemy or seeking his harm, then the con-
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many, from the smaller you shall give few. gregation shall judge between the manslayer
Each shall give some of its cities to the and the avenger of blood according to these
Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that judgments. So the congregation shall deliver
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each receives.” the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, blood, and the congregation shall return him
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“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he
them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into the shall remain there until the death of the high
land of Canaan, then you shall appoint cities priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
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to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslay- 26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside
er who kills any person accidentally may flee the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,
there. They shall be cities of refuge for you 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside
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from the avenger, that the manslayer may not the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger
die until he stands before the congregation in of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be
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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
35:12 the avenger. The meaning of this term high priest the manslayer may return to the
is “near of kin.” It refers to the person chosen land of his possession.
by a family to deal with a loss suffered in that 29 ‘And these things shall be a statute of judg-
family. Here the close relative of a homicide ment to you throughout your generations in
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victim would seek to avenge his death, but all your dwellings. Whoever kills a person,
not until proper judgment was made. the murderer shall be put to death on the tes-
timony of witnesses; but one witness is not suf-
ficient testimony against a person for the
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