1 T he Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho,

Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

2 “ Tell the people of Israel to give the Levites cities to live in from the land they receive. And give the Levites fields around the cities.

“Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in. You shall give suburbs for the cities around them to the Levites.

3 T he cities will be theirs to live in. Their fields will be for their cattle and flocks and for all their animals.

They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

4 T he fields you give the Levites should be around the cities, from the city walls out 500 long steps.

“The suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it.

5 A nd you should number 1, 000 long steps from the city on the east side, on the south side, on the west side, and on the north side, with the city in the center. These fields around the cities will belong to them for their animals.

You shall measure outside of 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 middle. This shall be the suburbs of their cities.

6 T he cities you give the Levites will be the six cities where people can go to be safe. They will be where a man may run to if he has killed another person. And give them forty-two other cities, added to these.

“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities.

7 G ive forty-eight cities in all to the Levites, together with their fields.

All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs.

8 T ake more cities from the larger families of Israel to give to the Levites. And take less cities from the smaller families. Each should give some of its cities to the Levites by how much land is received.” The Cities to Be a Safe Place

Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many; and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites.”

9 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

10 “ Say to the people of Israel, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 c hoose which cities are to be the ones where you can run to be safe. The man who has killed a person without meaning to may run there.

then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

12 T he cities will be a safe place for you from the one who wants to punish you. So the one who has killed a person may not die until the people decide if he is guilty or not.

The cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die, until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13 T he cities you give will be your six cities where you can go to be safe.

The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

14 G ive three cities on the east side of the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan. They will be the cities where you can go to be safe.

You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.

15 T hese six cities will be safe places for the people of Israel and for the stranger and for the one who visits them. Anyone who kills a person without meaning to may run there.

For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the foreigner living among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

16 ‘ But if he killed him with an iron object, then he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.

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

17 I f he knocked him down with a stone so that he died, he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.

If he struck 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 O r if he hit him with a piece of wood in his hand so that he died, he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.

Or if he struck 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 T he man who wants to punish him for the killing will put the killer to death. He will put him to death when he meets him.

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

20 I f the killer has pushed him because he hated him, or has thrown something at him after waiting for him, and because of this he died,

If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,

21 o r if he hit him down with his hand because he hated him and killed him, for sure the one who killed him must be put to death. He is guilty. The man who wants to punish him for the killing will put him to death when he meets him.

or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck 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 pushed him without planning to and without hating him, or threw something at him without having waited for him,

“‘But if he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

23 o r he threw a stone without seeing him, killing him without hating him or meaning to hurt him,

or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

24 t hen the people will decide by these Laws between the killer and the one who wants to punish him.

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

25 T he people will save the killer from the man who wants to punish him. And they will return him to his city where he had gone to be safe. He will live in it until the death of the head religious leader who was set apart with the holy oil.

The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 B ut if the man who killed another person at sometime goes outside his city where he went to be safe,

“‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,

27 t hen the man who wants to punish him will not be guilty of blood if he finds him outside the safe city and kills him.

and the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood,

28 B ecause the man should have stayed in his city to be safe until the death of the head religious leader. But after the head religious leader dies, the man who killed another person may return to his own land.

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 man slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

29 ‘ These things will be a Law to you and to all your children-to-come in all your homes.

“‘These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 I f anyone kills a person, the killer must be put to death by what is told by those who saw the killing. But no person may be put to death because of what one person says.

“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.

31 Y ou must not take pay to save the life of a killer who is guilty of death. But he must be put to death.

“‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.

32 Y ou must not take pay for him who has run to his city to be safe, so that he may return to live in the land before the death of the religious leader.

“‘You shall take no ransom for him who is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

33 Y ou must not make the land where you live unclean. The land is not holy when people are killed. And only the blood of him who is guilty can pay to make the land free from the blood that has fallen on it.

“‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.

34 D o not make the land where you live unclean, in the place where I live. For I the Lord am living among the people of Israel.’”

You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the middle of which I dwell; for I, Yahweh, dwell in the middle of the children of Israel.’”