1. Yahweh spoke to Moses on the desert plains of Moab beyond the Jordan across Jericho, saying,
2. “Command the Israelites that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their property cities to live in; and you will give to the Levites pastureland all around the cities.
3. The cities will be theirs to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their domestic animals, for their possessions, and their animals.
4. “The pasturelands of the cities that you will give to the Levites will extend from the wall of the city to a distance of a thousand cubits all around.
5. You will measure outside the city the eastern edge two thousand cubits, for the southern edge two thousand cubits, for the western edge two thousand cubits, and for the northern edge two thousand cubits, with the city in the middle; this will be for them the pasturelands of the cities.
6. “All the cities that you will give the Levites will be six cities of refuge, to which the killer can flee; in addition to them you will give forty-two cities.
7. All the cities that you will give to the Levites will be forty-eight cities, them with their pasturelands.
8. And the cities that you will give from the property of the Israelites, you will take more from the larger group and less from the smaller group; each of them will give according to the portion of their inheritance according to the portion that he inherits.”
9. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
10. “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11. you will select for yourselves cities for your cities of refuge, that a killer who has killed a person unintentionally can flee there.
12. The cities will be to you a refuge from a redeemer, so that the killer will not die until he stands before the community for judgment.