Numbers 35:9-28

9Adonai spoke to Moses saying,

10“Speak to Bnei-Yisrael saying: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11You are to select cities which will be cities of refuge, to which one might flee if he has killed someone by accident.

12They are to be cities for refuge from the avenger, so the manslayer may not die before standing trial before the assembly.

13The six cities you designate are to be your cities of refuge.

14Designate three cities on this side of the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

15“These six cities of refuge are to be for Bnei-Yisrael as well as for the outsider and the visitor in their midst, for anyone killing a person by accident.

16Now if the manslayer strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer and the murderer must die.

17If anyone has a stone in his hand that could be deadly and strikes anyone with it so that he dies, he is a murderer and the murderer must die.

18Or if someone has a wooden object that could kill and strikes anyone so that he dies, he is a murderer and the murderer must be put to death.

19The blood avenger himself may put the murderer to death. When he finds him, he is to kill him.

20“If anyone pushes someone maliciously, or throws anything at him with deadly intent,

21or with hostility hits him with his fist so that he dies, the one hitting him is a murderer. The blood avenger may put the murderer to death when he finds him.

22But if he pushes him suddenly or throws an object at him with no intent,

23or without seeing him should drop a stone on him resulting in his death, but he was not his enemy and intended him no harm,

24the assembly must judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these regulations.

25The assembly must protect the manslayer from the avenger of blood. The assembly should send him back to the city of refuge to which he had fled and he is to remain there until the death of the kohen gadol who was anointed with the holy oil.

26“But if the manslayer should go outside the city limit of his city of refuge to which he had fled,

27and should the blood avenger find him outside the city limits of the refuge city, the blood avenger may put him to death without being guilty of his blood.

28The manslayer must stay within the limits of his city of refuge until the kohen gadol dies, and after the death of the kohen gadol , the manslayer may return to his property.