Deuteronomy 19:1-7

1The Lord your God will destroy the nations who now live in the land that he is giving to you. You will chase them out and you will live in their cities and in their houses.

2Make the land into three separate regions. Then choose three special cities, one city in each region. Build good roads to each city so that people can easily travel to them. Then anyone who kills a person can run to one of these cities to be safe.

4This is the rule when anyone has killed another person: If it was a mistake, he can run to a safe city. He can do that if he has killed someone that he did not already hate.

5For example, two men may go to the forest to cut wood. As one man cuts wood with his axe, the metal part of the axe flies off. It hits the other man and it kills him. Then the killer can run to the nearest of the three cities. He will be safe there.

6If there was no safe city near enough, the killer might not escape safely. The dead person's relative might chase him, catch him and kill him. But the killer did not deserve to die. He had made a mistake. He had killed someone that he did not already hate.

7So I command you to choose three cities to be safe cities for yourselves.