1 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 2 "Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites. 3 They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

4 "The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it. 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 middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.

6 "The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities. 7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands. 8 Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites." 9 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there. 12 The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13 The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge. 14 You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreigner living among them, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly 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 If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died, 21 or in hostility 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 shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait, 23 or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm, 24 then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. 25 The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 "‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer, 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 man slayer 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 based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.

31 "‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death. He shall surely be put to death.

32 "‘You shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

33 "‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement 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 inhabit, where I dwell; for I, Yahweh, dwell among the children of Israel.’"

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho, saying,

2 Command the sons of Israel that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in, and ye shall give [also] unto the Levites the suburbs of those cities round about them.

3 And they shall have the cities to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their animals and for their substance and for all their beasts.

4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, [shall reach] from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.

5 Then ye shall measure from outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the side of the Negev two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city [shall be] in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

6 And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, [there shall be] six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint so that the murderer may flee there; and in addition to them ye shall give them forty-two cities.

7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites [shall be] forty-eight cities, the [cities] with their suburbs.

8 And the cities which ye shall give [shall be] of the possession of the sons of Israel; from [those that have] much ye shall give many; but from [those that have] few ye shall give few, each one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his possession which he inherited.

9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, When ye have passed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 then ye shall appoint yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you that the murderer who kills any person unawares may flee there.

12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger that the murderer not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

13 And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge.

14 Ye shall give three cities on this side of the Jordan and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, [which] shall be cities of refuge.

15 These six cities shall be a refuge, [both] for the sons of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them that anyone that kills another person unawares may flee there.

16 And if he smites him with an instrument of iron so that he dies, he [is] a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he smites him by throwing a stone with which he may die, and he dies, he [is] a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or [if] he smites him with a hand weapon of wood with which he may die, and he dies, he [is] a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The kinsman avenger of blood shall slay the murderer; when he meets him, he shall slay him.

20 But if he thrusts him out of hatred or hurls at him by laying in wait, so that he dies

21 or out of enmity smites him with his hand so that he dies, he that smote [him] shall surely be put to death; [for] he [is] a murderer; the kinsman avenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meets him.

22 But if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity, or has cast upon him any thing without laying in wait,

23 or with any stone, with which a man may die, seeing [him] not and casts [it] upon him that he dies, and [was] not his enemy, neither sought his harm,

24 then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the kinsman avenger of blood according to these laws.

25 And the congregation shall deliver the murderer out of the hand of the kinsman avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, where he has fled, and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the murderer shall at any time come outside the border of the city of his refuge where he has fled,

27 and the kinsman avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the kinsman avenger of blood murders the murderer, he shall not be guilty of his blood.

28 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 murderer shall return into the land of his possession.

29 So these [things] shall be for a statute of rights unto you throughout your ages in all your dwellings.

30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person [to cause him] to die.

31 Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who [is] guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death.

32 And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

33 So ye shall not pollute the land where ye are, for this blood shall defile the land; and the land cannot be reconciled of the blood that is shed therein except by the blood of the one that shed it.

34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the sons of Israel.: