The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

Command the Israelites to give the Levites cities to live in from their inheritance, and give them pasture lands around the cities.

Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.

The cities will be places for them to live, and the pasture lands will be for their livestock, their property, and all their animals.

And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

The pasture lands of the cities that you give the Levites shall extend from the city wall outward a distance of a thousand cubits all around.

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

You shall measure from outside the city: two thousand cubits on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west side, and two thousand on the north side, with the city in the middle. This shall be their pasture lands for the cities.

And ye shall measure from without 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; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

The cities that you give to the Levites shall include six cities of refuge for someone who kills another unintentionally to flee to; in addition, give them forty-two more cities.

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

The total number of cities you give to the Levites will be forty-eight, along with their pasture lands.

So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.

The cities you give from the inheritance of the Israelites shall be proportionate: from larger tribes give more, and from smaller tribes give less. Each tribe shall give cities to the Levites in accordance with the inheritance it receives.

And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

you shall designate cities to serve as cities of refuge where someone who unintentionally kills another may flee.

Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.

These cities shall serve as a refuge from the avenger of blood, so that the one who killed someone unintentionally may not be put to death until they stand trial before the congregation.

And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.

The cities you are to give will serve as six cities of refuge.

And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.

Three of these cities you shall give on the east side of the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.

Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.

These six cities will be a refuge for the Israelites, for the foreigner, and for the sojourner living among them, so that anyone who unintentionally kills another can flee there.

These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

But if someone strikes another with an iron object and the person dies, they are a murderer, and the murderer shall be put to death.

And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

If someone strikes another with a stone that is large enough to cause death and the person dies, they are a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Or if someone strikes another with a wooden tool that could cause death, and the person dies, they are a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when they encounter the murderer, the avenger is to put them to death.

The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

If someone pushes another out of hatred or throws something at them with intent and the person dies,

But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;

or if in hostility someone strikes another with their hand and the person dies, the one who struck them must be put to death. They are a murderer. The avenger of blood is to execute the sentence when they meet the murderer.

Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.

But if suddenly, without hostility, someone pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally,

But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,

or if, without seeing them, they drop a stone on someone that could cause death, and the person dies, but there was no enmity or intentional harm between them,

Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

then the assembly must judge between the one who caused the death and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:

The assembly shall protect the one who caused the death from the avenger of blood and send them back to the city of refuge they fled to. They must remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

But if the one who caused the death goes outside the boundaries of the city of refuge to which they fled,

But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;

and the avenger of blood finds the offender outside the city and kills them, the avenger shall not be guilty of bloodshed.

And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

The one who caused the death must remain in the city of refuge until the high priest dies; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.

Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

These are to be legal requirements for you throughout your generations in all your settlements.

So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Anyone who kills another person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses; but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

You must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; they must surely be put to death.

Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing them to return to live in the land before the death of the high priest.

And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

Do not pollute the land where you are, for bloodshed defiles the land; and no atonement can be made for the land that has been defiled by bloodshed except by the blood of the one who shed it.

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.