22But if he pushed him without malice aforethought or hurled any object at him unintentionally, 23or inadvertentlyc dropped upon him any deadly object of stone, and death resulted—though he was not an enemy of his and did not seek his harm—24in such cases the assembly shall decide between the slayer and the blood-avenger. 25The assembly shall protect the manslayer from the blood-avenger, and the assembly shall restore him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and there he shall remain until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.
26But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he has fled,27and the blood-avenger comes upon him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the blood-avenger kills the manslayer, there is no bloodguilt on his account. 28For he must remain inside his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; after the death of the high priest, the manslayer may return to his land holding.
29Such shall be your law of procedure throughout the ages in all your settlements.
30If anyone kills a person, the manslayer may be executed only on the evidence of witnesses; the testimony of a single witness against a person shall not suffice for a sentence of death.
31You may not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of a capital crime; he must be put to death. 32Nor may you accept ransom in lieu of flight to a city of refuge, enabling one to return to live on his land before the death of the priest. 33You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and the land can have no expiation for blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I Myself abide, for I the LORD abide among the Israelite people.
36 The family heads in the clan of the descendants of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the Josephite clans, came forward and appealed to Moses and the chieftains, family headsa of the Israelites. 2They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to assign the land to the Israelites as shares by lot, and my lord was further commanded by the LORD to assign the share of our kinsman Zelophehad to his daughters. 3Now, if they marry persons from another Israelite tribe, their share will be cut off from our ancestral portion and be added to the portion of the tribe into which they marry; thus our allotted portion will be diminished. 4And even when the Israelites observe the jubilee, their share will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their share will be cut off from the ancestral portion of our tribe.”
5So Moses, at the LORD’s bidding, instructed the Israelites, saying: “The plea of the Josephite tribe is just. 6This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they wish, provided they marry into a clan of their father’s tribe. 7No inheritance of the Israelites may pass over from one tribe to another, but the Israelites must remain bound each to the ancestral portion of his tribe. 8Every daughter among the Israelite tribes who inherits a share must marry someone from a clan of her father’s tribe, in order that every Israelite may keep his ancestral share. 9Thus no inheritance shall pass over from one tribe to another, but the Israelite tribes shall remain bound each to its portion.”
10The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had commanded Moses: 11Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, Zelophehad’s daughters, were married to sons of their uncles, 12marrying into clans of descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph; and so their share remained in the tribe of their father’s clan.
13These are the commandments and regulations that the LORD enjoined upon the Israelites, through Moses, on the steppes of Moab, at the Jordan near Jericho.
a-a I.e., of its tribes.
a-a Others “before.”
b See note on Exod. 26.I.
c I.e., the screening curtain; cf. 4–5.
a See note at Ex. 25:4
b-b Others “look at the sacred objects even for a moment.”
a-a See Lev. 13. 15.
b Lit. “redeemer.”
c Cf. Lev. 5.15 f.
d See note at Lev. 10.6.
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a See note at Lev. 22.21.
b Meaning of harsannim and zag uncertain.
c-c Others “his consecration unto God.”
d Cf. Num. 19.14–16.
e Or “it,” i.e., the consecrated hair; cf. v. 19.
f-f Others “make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious to thee.”
g-g Others “lift up His countenance.”
h Or “friendship.”
a Cf. Exod. 14.10.
a Cf. Exod. 25.37.
b Lit. “elevate.”
c-c Lit. “when the Israelites come.”
a Lit. “him.”
a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Lit. “eyes.”
c-c Others “Return, O LORD, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel!”
a From root b’r, “to burn.”
b Lit. “cream of oil (or, fat).”
c-c I.e., as for a sacrificial meal.
d-d Lit. “in whose midst I am.”
e-e Lit. “Is the LORD’s hand too short?”
f-f Others “prophesied.”
g Meaning of Heb. yikkareth uncertain.
h I.e., “the graves of craving.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Others “If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD.”
b Cf. Lev. 13.2–3.
a Or “Hoshea.”
b Others “the entrance to Hamath.”
c I.e., “cluster.”
d See Gen. 6.4.
a-a Lit. “set the head and return to”; cf. Neh. 9.17. Others “Let us make a captain and return to.”
b Lit. “food (or, bread).”
c Cf. Exod. 34.6–7.
d Lit. “ten”; cf. note at Gen. 31.41.
e See note at Exod. 10.19.
f Lit. “raised My hand.”
g Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a See note at Lev. 22.21.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c Meaning of Heb. ‘arisah uncertain.
d Lit. “with upraised hand.”
a-a Lit. “took”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b-b According to Num. 26.5, 8–9, Eliab was son of Pallu, son of Reuben.
c Perhaps in the sense of “his face fell.”
d Lit. “his.”
e-e Lit. “You have not even.”
f “Those men’s” is a euphemism for “our”; cf. 1 Sam 29.4. Gouging out the eyes was punishment for runaway slaves and rebellious vassals; cf. 2 Kings 25.4–7; Jer. 39.4–7, 52.7–11.
g Lit. “God.”
a Meaning of parts of verse uncertain.
b I.e., of their tribes.
c Meaning of Heb. wahashikkothi uncertain.
a Meaning of latter part of verse uncertain.
b See note at Lev. 7.35.
c-c Meaning of Heb. uncertain; lit. “from the fire.”
d Or “they are consecrated for your use.”
e Cf. Lev. 7.29 ff.
f See Lev. 27.28.
g I.e., for human first-born; cf. Num. 3.44 ff. For animals see Exod. 34.19 f.
h See Lev. 2.13.
i Lit. “they.”
a Lit. “water for impurity.”
b I.e., the ashes, as in v. 9.
c Lit. “slain by the sword.”
d Lit. “earth” or “dust.”
e I.e., the person being cleansed.
a Of the fortieth year; cf. Num. 33.36–38.
b I.e., “Quarrel”; cf. Exod. 17.7 and note b there.
c Or “angel.”
d-d Lit. “and die.”
a Meaning of Heb. ha-’atharim uncertain. Targum and other ancient versions render “the way [taken by] the scouts.”
b I.e., utterly destroy, reserving no booty except what is deposited in the Sanctuary; see Josh. 6.24.
c Connected with heherim “to proscribe.”
d See Exod. 10.19 note.
e Cf. Isa. 14.29; 30.6. Others “fiery”; exact meaning of Heb. saraph uncertain.
f The quotation that follows is a fragment; text and meaning are uncertain.
g Lit. “well.”
h Septuagint “the well” (= Beer); cf. v. 16.
i Or “Jeshimon.”
j Septuagint “Jazer,” cf. v. 32. Others “for the boundary of the Ammonites was strong.”
k The meaning of several parts of this ancient poem is no longer certain.
l Cf. vv. 19 and 20 and Num. 22.21.
m Meaning of verse uncertain. Alternatively:
a Lit. “the River.”
b-b Lit. “with divination in their power (hand).”
c-c Lit. “and prostrated himself to his nostrils.”
d Precise meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a Others “to a bare height”; exact meaning of Heb. shephi uncertain.
b Heb. El, as often in these poems.
c Cf. Gen. 13.16.
d Lit. “and the number of.”
e Heb. yesharim, a play on yeshurun (Jeshurun in Deut. 32.15), a name for Israel.
f Or “Lookout Point.”
g Lit. “eminences,” used figuratively.
h Cf. Deut. 18.10–15.
i Or, “Else would it be told to Jacob, Yea to Israel, what God has planned.”
j-j Heb. ’ari, another term for “lion.”
k Cf. note on 21.20.
a Some of the poetic portions of this chapter are unclear.
b Others “whose eye is (or, eyes are) open”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c Lit. “and its seed.”
d See note at 23.22.
e Heb. labi, another word for “lion”; cf. note at 23.24.
f Samaritan “the pate of,” cf. Jer. 48.45; others “breaks down.”
g I.e., the Kenites.
a-a Others “began to commit harlotry.”
b Lit. “heads of the people.”
c Others “in face of the sun.”
a Meaning of parts of vv. 3 and 4 uncertain.
b Or “Hanoch.”
c-c Or “descendants of.”
d Or “Shaul.”
e Meaning of parts of vv. 42 and 43 uncertain.
a See note at 20.13.
b-b I.e., who shall lead them in all matters and whom they shall follow in all matters.
a-a Lit. “My offering, My food.”
b Exod. 29.38–41.
c I.e., wine.
d I.e., of an ephah.
e-e Lit. “they shall
