1 ALev 25:32-34Now the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. 3  “The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

4 “The pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city 1Lit and outwardoutward a thousand cubits around. 5  “You shall also measure 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, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

6  “The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the AJosh 20:7-9six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7  “All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be AJosh 21:41forty-eight cities, 1Lit themtogether with their pasture lands. 8  “ALev 25:32-34; Num 26:54; 33:54; Josh 21:1-42As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits.”

9 Then the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “AJosh 20:1-9Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 ADeut 19:1-13then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your BJosh 20:2fcities of refuge, that the manslayer who has 1Lit smotekilled any person CEx 21:13; Lev 4:2f, 22f; Num 35:22-25unintentionally may flee there. 12  ‘ADeut 19:4-6; Josh 20:2, 3The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for 1Lit judgmenttrial. 13  ‘The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. 14  ‘You ADeut 4:41shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities 1Lit you shall give inin the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15  ‘These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who 1Lit smiteskills a person ANum 35:11unintentionally may flee there.

16 ‘AEx 21:12, 14; Lev 24:17But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17  ‘If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer ANum 35:31shall surely be put to death. 18  ‘Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19  ‘The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him. 20  ‘AGen 4:8; 2 Sam 3:27; 20:10If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him BEx 21:14; Deut 19:11lying in wait and as a result he died, 21 or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 ‘ANum 35:11But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait, 23 or with any 1Lit by which he may diedeadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury, 24 then AJosh 20:6the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinances. 25  ‘The congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26  ‘But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, 27 and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will 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 manslayer shall return to the land of his possession.

29 ‘These things shall be for a ANum 27:11statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 ‘ANum 35:16If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the 1Lit mouthevidence of witnesses, but BDeut 17:6; 19:15; Matt 18:16; John 7:51; 8:17, 18no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31  ‘Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32  ‘You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land 1Or untilbefore the death of the priest. 33  ‘ADeut 21:7, 8; Ps 106:38So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except BGen 9:6by the blood of him who shed it. 34  ‘You shall not ALev 18:24, 25defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which BNum 5:3I dwell; for I the Loʀᴅ am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’ ”