1. The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho:
2. Command the Israelites out of the heritage they possess to give the Levites cities to dwell in; you will also give the Levites the pasture lands around the cities.
3. The cities will be for them to dwell in, and the pasture lands will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their other animals.
4. The pasture lands of the cities to be assigned the Levites shall extend a thousand cubits out from the city walls in every direction.
5. You will measure out two thousand cubits outside the city along the east side, two thousand cubits along the south side, two thousand cubits along the west side, and two thousand cubits along the north side, with the city lying in the center. These will be the pasture lands of their cities.
6. Now these are the cities you will give to the Levites: the six cities of asylum which you must establish for the homicide to run to, and in addition forty-two other cities—
7. a total of forty-eight cities with their pasture lands which you will assign to the Levites.
8. In assigning the cities from what the Israelites possess, take more from a larger group and fewer from a smaller one, so that each will cede cities to the Levites in proportion to the heritage which it receives.
9. The Lord spoke to Moses:
10. Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you go across the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11. select for yourselves cities to serve as cities of asylum, where a homicide who has killed someone inadvertently may flee.
12. These cities will serve you as places of asylum from the avenger of blood, so that a homicide will not be put to death until tried before the community.
13. As for the cities you assign, you will have six cities of asylum:
14. you will designate three cities beyond the Jordan, and you will designate three cities in the land of Canaan. These will be cities of asylum.