Deuteronomy 19:4-13

4“1Now this is the case of the one who commits manslaughter, who may flee there and live: when he 2kills his friend 3unintentionally, 4not hating him previously-- 5as when a person goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand 5swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the 6handle and 7strikes his friend so that he dies--he may flee to one of these cities and live. 6Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue 8him 9in the heat of his anger, and overtake him because the way is long, and 10take his life, though he was not sentenced to death since he had not hated him previously. 7Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall set aside for yourself three cities.’

8“And if the Lord your God 11enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that He 12promised to give your fathers-- 9if you 13carefully follow all of this commandment which I am commanding you today, 14to love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways always--15then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and 16guilt for bloodshed will not be on you.

11“But 17if there is a person who hates his neighbor, and waits in ambush for him and rises up against him and strikes 18him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12then the elders of his city shall send men and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 131920You shall not pity him, but 21you shall eliminate the guilt for the bloodshed of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well for you.