351 Now the Lord 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 outward a thousand cubits around . 5 "You shall also measure outside e 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 six cities of refuge , which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two e cities . 7 "All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight e cities , together with their pasture lands . 8 " As 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 Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 10 " Speak to the sons 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 be your cities of refuge , that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there . 12 ' The 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 trial . 13 'The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge . 14 'You shall give three cities across e the Jordan and three cities in 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 kills a person unintentionally may flee there . 16 ' But 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 shall 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 ' If he pushed him of hatred , or threw something at him lying 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 ' But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity , or threw something e at him without lying in wait , 23 or with any deadly e 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 the 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 e 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 statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings . 30 ' If anyone kills a person , the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses , but no 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 before the death of the priest . 33 ' So 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 e by the blood of him who shed it. 34 'You shall not defile the land in which you live , in the midst of which I dwell ; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel .' "
