1 THE LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the 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 they shall give also to the Levites the suburbs of the cities round about them.

3 And the cities they shall have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle and for their herds 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 round about.

5 And you shall measure from outside 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.

6 And among the cities which you shall give to the Levites, six cities shall be set aside for you for refuge, that the manslayer who had slain his neighbor without intent may flee thither; and to them you shall add forty-two other cities.

7 So all the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities in all, together with their suburbs.

8 And with regard to the cities which you shall give of the inheritance of the children of Israel: from those that have many you shall take many; but from those that have few you shall take few; every one shall give of his cities to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance which he inherits.

9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10 Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 Then you shall select for yourselves cities to he cities of refuge for you; that the person who kills someone unawares may flee there.

12 And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not be killed until he stand before the congregation in judgment.

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

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

15 These six cities shall be for refuge, both for the children of Israel and for the proselytes and for the sojourner among them; that every one who kills any person unawares may flee there.

16 But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he might die, and he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he struck him with a stone in the hand, so that he might die, and he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or if he struck him with an instrument of wood by hand, so that he might die, and he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meets him.

20 But if he wound him because of hatred, or shoot an arrow at him by lying in wait, that he might die, he is a murderer;

21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he might die, and he did die, the murderer shall surely be put to death; the avenger of the blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meets him.

22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without lying in wait,

23 Or with any stone with which a man may die, without seeing him when he cast it upon him, and he died, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

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

25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall send him to the city of refuge, to which he had fled; and he shall dwell 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 go outside the bounds of the city of his refuge, to which he has fled;

27 And the avenger of the blood find him outside the bounds of the city of his refuge, and the avenger of the blood kill 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 to the land of his possession.

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

30 Whosoever kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but just one witness shall not testify against any person that he may be put to death.

31 Moreover you shall not accept a bribe for the life of a slayer, who is guilty of death; but he shall be surely put to death.

32 And you shall not take a bribe that he may flee to the city of refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the high priest.

33 So you shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood defiles the land; and the land in which blood is shed cannot be cleansed except by the shedding of the blood of him who shed it.

34 Defile not therefore the land in which you dwell, and wherein I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.