1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and you shall give also to the Levites suburbs for the cities on every side of them.
3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4 And the suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits on every side.
5 And you shall measure from without the city on the East side two thousand cubits, and on the South side 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 middle: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6 And among the cities which you shall give to the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which you shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee: and to them you shall add forty-two cities.
7 So all the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities: them shall you give with their suburbs.
8 And the cities which you shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from those who have many you shall give many; but from those who have few you shall give few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance that he inherits.
9 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When you have come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
11 Then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee there who kills any person unawares.
12 And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer does not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.
13 And of these cities which you shall give, six cities you shall have for refuge.
14 you shall give three cities on this side of Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan, that shall be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall be a refuge for the children of Israel, for the temporary inhabitant, and for the stranger among them: that everyone who kills any person unawares may flee there.
16 And if he strikes 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 strikes him by throwing a stone so that he may die, and he dies, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he strikes him with a hand weapon of wood so that he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meets him, he shall slay him.
20 But if he thrusts him of hatred, or hurls at him by laying in wait that he die;
21 Or in enmity strikes him with his hand so that he dies: he who struck him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meets him.
22 But if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity, or casts upon him anything without laying of wait,
23 Or with any stone by which a man may die, not seeing him, and casts it at him so he dies--and was not his enemy neither sought his harm:
24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge where he fled: and he shall abide in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time come outside of the border of the city of his refuge where he has fled;
27 And the revenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kills the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:
28 Because 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 into the land of his possession.
29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment to you through the Kingdom Age in all your dwelling places.
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 You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And you shall take no satisfaction for him who has 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 you shall not pollute the land in which you are, for blood defiles the land.  The land cannot have the impurity covered that is caused by the bloodshed except by the blood of the person who shed it.
34 Therefore, do not defile the land in which I dwell that you shall inhabit, for I, Jehovah, dwell among the children of Israel.