Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, 2 “Command the Israelites to give to the Levites, cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.
3 They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, their possessions, and all of their animals.
4 The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward 28 miles around it. 5 You shall measure outside of the city for the east side 57 miles, and for the south side 57 miles, and for the west side 57 miles, and for the north side 57 miles, the city being in the middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.
Six Cities of Refuge
6 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man who accidentally killed someone to flee to. You also shall allot 42 additional cities. 7 You shall give a total of 48 cities to the Levites, together with their pasture lands. 8 For the cities that you give to the Levites, from the larger tribes you must give more and from the smaller tribes you must give less, each according to the size of their land grant.’ ”
9 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, so that the person who accidentally kills someone may flee there. 12 The cities shall be a refuge from the avenger, so that he will not die until he stands trial. 13 There shall be six cities of refuge: 14 three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan. 15 These six cities will be a refuge for the Israelites, and for the stranger, and for the foreigner living among them, so that everyone who accidentally kills anyone may flee there.
16 But if he struck anyone 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 with a stone in his hand that could kill someone, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him with a wooden weapon in his hand, by which a man could die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death himself. When he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died, 21 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 shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait, 23 or with any stone, which could kill someone, but did not see him, and threw it at him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm, 24 then the assembly shall judge between the slayer and the avenger according to these ordinances. 25 The assembly shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger, and the assembly shall return him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell in that city until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees, 27 and the avenger finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger kills the slayer, he shall not be guilty of bloodshed, 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 slayer may return to the land of his possession.
29 This shall be a statute and ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.
30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be executed based on the testimony of witnesses, but one witness alone shall not convict anyone.
31 Furthermore, you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of killing. He shall surely be put to death.
32 You shall take no ransom for anyone who returns from his city of refuge before the death of the priest.
33 You shall not pollute the land where you live, 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 You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’ ”