1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
2 Command the people of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and pasturelands for the cities round about them you shall give to the Levites.
3 The cities shall be theirs to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their animals.
4 The suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits round about.
5 You shall measure outside of the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the pasturelands of the cities.
6 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee: and besides them you shall give forty-two cities.
7 All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasturelands.
8 Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the people of Israel, each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, you shall give of its cities to the Levites..
9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10 Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11 then you shall appoint cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.
12 The cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die, until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
13 The cities which you shall give shall be your six cities of refuge.
14 You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities you shall give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.
15 For the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the foreigner living among them, these six cities shall be for refuge; that everyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.
16 But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
17 If he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20 And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
21 or in enmity struck him with his hand, so that he died; he who struck him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meets him.
22 But if he struck him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,
23 or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,
24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;
25 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, where he has fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
27 and the avenger of blood find him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kill the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood,
28 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.
29 These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person so that he dies.
31 Moreover you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.
32 You shall accept no ransom for him who is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
33 So you shall not pollute the land in which you are: for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.
34 You shall not defile the land which you live, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, the Lord, dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.