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

2Command the children of Israel, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also to the Levites suburbs for the cities around them.

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

4And the suburbs of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits on all sides.

5And ye 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 midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

6And among the cities which ye shall give to the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the man-slayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

7So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.

8And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

9And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When ye have passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

11Then ye shall appoint for you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, who killeth any person at unawares.

12And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the man-slayer may not die, until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

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

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

15These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

16And if he shall smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he shall die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17And if he shall smite him by throwing a stone, by which he may die, and he shall die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18Or if he shall smite him with a hand-weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he shall die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

20But if he shall thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying in wait, that he die.

21Or in enmity shall smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.

22But if he shall thrust him suddenly without enmity, or shall have cast upon him any thing without laying in wait,

23Or with any stone, by which a man may die, seeing him not, and shall cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

24Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments:

25And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled: and he shall abide in it to the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he had fled;

27And the avenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of blood shall kill the slayer; 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 into the land of his possession.

29So these things shall be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30Whoever killeth 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.

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

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

33So ye shall not pollute the land in which ye are : for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him that shed it.

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