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

2 Command the sons of Israel, that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in. And ye shall give suburbs for the cities round about them to the Levites.

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

4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.

5 And ye shall measure outside the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the m

6 And of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, there shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee to. And besides them ye shall give forty-two cities.

7 All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, them with their suburbs.

8 And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye shall take many, and from the few ye shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give of his

9 And LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10 Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 then ye shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

12 And the cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13 And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

14 Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities ye shall give in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.

15 For the sons of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, these six cities shall be for refuge, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

16 But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20 And if he thrust him from hatred, or hurled at him, laying in wait, so that he died,

21 or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died, he who smote him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meets him.

22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without laying in wait,

23 or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, nor sought his harm,

24 then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

25 And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge where he fled. And he shall dwell in it until the death of the high priest, who

26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees,

27 and the avenger of blood find him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall 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 into the land of his possession.

29 And these things shall be for a statute [and] ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person so that he dies.

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

32 And ye shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

33 So ye shall not pollute the land in which ye are, for blood, it pollutes the land. And no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.

34 And thou shall not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, LORD, dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel.