1And YHWH speaks to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, [near] Jericho, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel, and they have given to the Levites cities to inhabit from the inheritance of their possession; you also give [the] outskirt around them, of the cities, to the Levites. 3And the cities have been for them to inhabit, and their outskirts are for their livestock, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

4And the outskirts of the cities which you give to the Levites [are], from the wall of the city and outside, one thousand cubits around. 5And you have measured from the outside of the city: the east quarter—two thousand by the cubit, and the south quarter—two thousand by the cubit, and the west quarter—two thousand by the cubit, and the north quarter—two thousand by the cubit; and the city [is] in the midst; this is the outskirts of the cities to them.

6And the cities which you give to the Levites [are] the six cities of refuge, which you give for the fleeing there of the manslayer, and besides them you give forty-two cities; 7all the cities which you give to the Levites [are] forty-eight cities, them and their outskirts. 8And the cities which you give [are] from the possession of the sons of Israel; from the many you multiply, and from the few you diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, gives to the Levites from his cities.”

9And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you have said to them: When you are passing over the Jordan to the land of Canaan, 11and have prepared cities for yourselves—they are cities of refuge to you—then a manslayer, striking a person through ignorance, has fled there, 12and the cities have been for a refuge to you from the redeemer, and the manslayer does not die until his standing before the congregation for judgment. 13As for the cities which you give, six [are] cities of refuge to you; 14three of the cities you give from beyond the Jordan, and three of the cities you give in the land of Canaan; they are cities of refuge. 15For sons of Israel, and for a sojourner, and for a settler in their midst, are these six cities for a refuge, for the fleeing there of anyone striking a person through ignorance.

16And if he has struck him with an instrument of iron, and he dies, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. 17And if he has struck him with a stone [in] the hand, with which he could die, and he dies, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. 18Or [if] he has struck him with a wooden instrument [in] the hand, with which he could die, and he dies, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. 19The redeemer of blood puts the murderer to death himself; in his coming against him he puts him to death. 20And if he pushes him in hatred, or has cast [anything] at him by lying in wait, and he dies, 21or he has struck him with his hand in enmity, and he dies, the striker is certainly put to death; he [is] a murderer; the redeemer of blood puts the murderer to death in his coming against him.

22And if, in an instant, without enmity, he has pushed him, or has cast any instrument at him without lying in wait, 23or with any stone with which he could die, without seeing, indeed, causes [it] to fall on him, and he dies, and he [is] not his enemy, nor seeking his evil, 24then the congregation has judged between the striker and the redeemer of blood by these judgments. 25And the congregation has delivered the manslayer out of the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the congregation has caused him to return to the city of his refuge, to where he has fled, and he has dwelt in it until the death of the chief priest who has been anointed with the holy oil. 26And if the manslayer indeed goes out [from] the border of the city of his refuge to where he flees, 27and the redeemer of blood has found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood has slain the manslayer, blood [is] not [reckoned] to him; 28for he dwells in the city of his refuge until the death of the chief priest; and after the death of the chief priest the manslayer turns back to the city of his possession.

29And these things have been for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.

30Whoever strikes a person, by the mouth of witnesses [one] slays the murderer; and one witness does not testify against a person to cause [him] to die. 31And you take no atonement for the life of a murderer who [is] condemned to die, for he is certainly put to death; 32and you take no atonement for him [who had] to flee to the city of his refuge, to return to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. 33And you do not profane the land which you [are] in, for blood profanes the land; as for the land, it is not pardoned for blood which is shed in it except by the blood of him who sheds it; 34and you do not defile the land in which you are dwelling, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, YHWH, dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel.”