5. You will measure outside the city on the east side three thousand feet, on the south side three thousand feet, on the west side three thousand feet, and on the north side three thousand feet, with the city in the middle. These will be their cities’ pastures.
6. Six of the cities that you give to the Levites will be refuge cities. You will allow the person who kills someone to flee there. In addition to these you will give them forty-two cities.
7. All the cities that you give to the Levites will total forty-eight, along with their pastures.
8. As for the cities that you give from the property of the Israelites, you will take more from the larger tribes and less from the smaller. Each in proportion to its inheritance will give cities to the Levites.
9. The Lord spoke to Moses:
10. Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11. identify for yourselves cities to be refuge cities, where a person who kills someone by accident may flee.
12. The cities will be for you a place of refuge from the close relative of the dead. The person who killed someone may not be put to death until he stands before the community for judgment.
13. You will establish six refuge cities for yourselves.
14. You will establish three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan. They will be the refuge cities.
15. These six cities will be refuge for Israelites, immigrants, and temporary residents, as a place to flee for anyone who kills a person by accident.
16. But if someone strikes a person with an iron object and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must definitely be put to death.
17. If someone strikes another with a stone in hand that could cause death and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must definitely be put to death.
18. Or if someone strikes with a wood object in hand that could cause death, he is a murderer. The murderer must definitely be put to death.