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.
13. The cities that you are to give will be your six cities of refuge.
14. You will give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they will be cities of refuge.
15. To the Israelites, to the alien, and to the temporary resident in their midst there will be these six cities as a refuge to which anyone who unintentionally kills a person may flee.
16. “ ‘But if he hit him with an object of iron, so that he dies, the killer must surely be put to death.
17. And if he hit him with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and he does die, he is a killer; the killer must surely be put to death.
18. Or if he hit him with a wooden object, by which he will die, and he does die, he is a killer; the killer must surely be put to death.
19. The blood avenger himself will put the killer to death; he must put him to death when meeting him.
20. If he shoves him in hatred, or he throws something at him with intention, and he dies,
21. or if he hits him in hostility with his hand, and he dies, the one that struck him will put to death the killer when meeting him.
22. “ ‘Or if in an instant he shoved him, not in hostility, or threw something at him without intention,
23. or with any stone, without seeing it dropped on him so that he dies, while he was not seeking his injury,
24. then the community will judge between the striker and between the blood avenger according to these ordinances.
25. The community will deliver the killer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the community will restore him to the city of his refuge to which he fled; and he will live there in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with holy oil.