2. Command the children of Israel, and they will give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in, and you will give the Levites pasturelands around the city.
3. The cities will be for them to dwell in, and their pasturelands will be for their livestock, and for their property, and for all their animals.
4. The pasturelands of the cities, which you will give to the Levites, will reach from the wall of the city and beyond one thousand cubits all around.
5. You will measure from without the city on the east side two thousandcubits, and on the south side twothousand cubits,and onthewestsidetwo thousandcubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, and the city will be in the middle. This will be for them the pasturelands of the cities.
6. Among the cities which you will give to the Levites there will be six cities of refuge, which you will appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee there, and to them you will add forty-two cities.
7. So all the cities which you will give to the Levites will be forty-eight cities. You will give them with their pasturelands.
8. The cities which you shall give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel. From the larger tribes you shall give many, and from the smaller tribes you shall give few. Each tribe, in proportion to the inheritance that it receives, shall give of its cities to the Levites.
9. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
10. Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you are crossing over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11. then you shall designate cities as your cities of refuge, so that a manslayer who unintentionally kills a person may flee there.
12. The cities will be for you a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer does not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
13. The cities which you designate shall be your six cities of refuge.
14. You will give three cities across the Jordan, and three cities you will give in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge.
15. For the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the foreign sojourner among them will be six cities. These will be for a refuge. Everyone that unintentionally kills any person may flee there.
16. If he strikes him with an instrument of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
17. If he strikes him with a stone in hand, by which hecould die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
18. Or if he strikes him with a weapon of wood in hand, by which he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
19. The avenger of blood himself will slay the murderer. When he meets him, he will slay him.
20. But if he pushed him out of hatred, or threw something at him, lying in wait, so he dies,