9. The Lord said to Moses,
10. “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11. designate cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.
12. You will have the cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who kills someone will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
13. The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.
14. Select three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan to be cities of refuge.
15. These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or temporary resident among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.
16. “If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.
17. If a man has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.
18. If a man has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.
19. The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
20. Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws an object at him with malicious intent and he dies,
21. or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.
22. “But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent
23. or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and wasn’t trying to harm him,
24. the assembly is to judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.