14
You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall you give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.
15
For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.
16
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
If he struck him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18
Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20
If he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
21
or in enmity 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 thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,
23
or with any stone, whereby 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
then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;
25
and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
27
and the avenger of blood find him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kill the manslayer; he shall 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 into the land of his possession.
29
These things shall be for a statute [and] ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30
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
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
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
So you shall not pollute the land in which you are: for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him who shed it.
34
You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Yahweh, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.