8. Since the towns for the Levites must come from Israel's own tribal lands, the larger tribes will give more towns than the smaller ones.
9. The Lord then told Moses
10. to tell the people of Israel:After you have crossed the River Jordan and are settled in Canaan,
11. choose Safe Towns, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run for protection.
12. If the victim's relatives think it was murder, they might try to take revenge. Anyone accused of murder can run to one of these Safe Towns for protection and not be killed before a trial is held.
13. There are to be six of these Safe Towns,
14. three on each side of the River Jordan.
15. They will be places of protection for anyone who lives in Israel and accidentally kills someone.