¹ And the LORD 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 will give also to the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. ³ And the cities will they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them will be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. ⁴ And the suburbs of the cities, which you will give to the Levites, will reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about. ⁵ And you will 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 will be in the midst: this will be to them the suburbs of the cities. ⁶ And among the cities which you will give to the Levites there will be six cities for refuge, which you will appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee there: and to them you will add forty and two cities. ⁷ so all the cities which you will give to the Levites will be forty and eight cities: them will you give with their suburbs. ⁸ And the cities which you will give will be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many you will give many but from them that have few you will give few: every one will give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth. ⁹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When you be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; ¹¹ Then you will appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee there, which kills any person at unawares. ¹² And they will be to you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. ¹³ And of these cities which you will give six cities will you have for refuge. ¹⁴ You will give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities will you give in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six cities will be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that kills any person unawares may flee there. ¹⁶ And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death. ¹⁷ And if he smite him with throwing a stone, with which he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death. ¹⁹ The revenger of blood himself will kill the murderer: when he meets him, he will kill him. ²⁰ But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; ²¹ Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him will surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood will kill the murderer, when he meets him. ²² But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast on him any thing without laying of wait, ²³ Or with any stone, with which a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it on him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm ²⁴ Then the congregation will judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments ²⁵ And the congregation will deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation will restore him to the city of his refuge, where he was fled: and he will abide in it to the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. ²⁶ But if the slayer will at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, where he was fled; ²⁷ And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he will 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 will return into the land of his possession. ²⁹ So these things will be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³⁰ Whoso kills any person, the murderer will be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness will not testify against any person to cause him to die. ³¹ Moreover you will take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he will be surely put to death. ³² And you will take no satisfaction 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 you will not pollute the land in which you are: for blood it corrupts 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. ³⁴ Defile not therefore the land which you will inhabit, in which I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.