1And the LORD spoke this to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho: 2“Command the children of Israel, that they give of their inheritance to the Levites cities to dwell in; and also pasture lands or suburbs around those cities. 3And the cities they shall have to dwell in; and the environs of them, shall be for their cattle, other animals, and for their goods. 4And the pasture lands of the cities you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits (1,500 feet) around it. 5And you shall measure from outside the city two thousand cubits (3,000 feet) in all four directions – north, south, east, and west. This shall be for the pasture lands of the cities. 6And among the cities you shall give to the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which you shall appoint for the manslayer, so that he may flee there; and in addition to those six cities, you shall give them forty-two cities. 7So that all the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, including their environs. 8And the cities which you shall give shall be out of the possession of the Israelites: from those that have many, you shall give many; but from those that have few you shall give few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites according to how many he inherits.”

9And the LORD spoke this to Moses: 10“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan; 11You shall select cities to be cities of refuge; that the slayer, who kills any person at unintentionally, may flee there. 12They shall be cities for refuge from the avenger; so that someone accused of murder may not be killed by an avenger before he stands trial before the congregation in judgment. 13Six of your cities shall you have for refuge - 14Three cities on this (east) side of the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, shall be cities of refuge. 15They shall be a refuge for both the Israelites, for the stranger, or a sojourner among them: so that everyone that kills anyone unintentionally may flee there.

16‘Anyone who strikes someone with an iron object, causing their death, is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17And if he strikes someone a fatal blow with a stone, he is also a murderer: murderers shall surely be put to death. 18Or anyone who strikes and kills someone with a wooden weapon is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19The avenger of blood may, himself, slay the murderer: when he meets him, he shall slay the murderer. 20But if he assaults him out of hatred or malice of forethought, or by lying in wait, and he dies; 21Or if he strikes him with his hand out of hostility, and he dies: he that struck him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the avenger of blood may slay the murderer when he meets him.

22‘But if he shoves someone, or throws and hits someone with something without intent, 23Such as a stone thrown without seeing him, and hits him, causing his death, and was not his enemy, nor meant his harm: 24Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these rules. 25And the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, where he has fled; and he shall abide there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. 26But if the slayer shall at any time leave the border of the city of his refuge, to which he was fled; 27And the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills him; he shall not be guilty of blood: 28Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return to the land of his inheritance. 29These things shall be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations, wherever you live.

30‘Whoever murders any person shall be put to death only by the mouth of witnesses: but the testimony of a single witness against anyone shall not justify his execution. 31And you shall never take ransom for the life of a murderer, who is worthy of death: but he shall be surely put to death. 32Nor shall you take ransom for anyone that has fled to the city of his refuge, so that he may return to his inheritance before the death of the priest. 33Do not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed there, except by the blood of the one that shed it. 34Therefore, do not defile the land where you live - the land in which I dwell - for I, the LORD, dwell among the children of Israel.’”