6. Now these are the cities you will give to the Levites: the six cities of asylum which you must establish for the homicide to run to, and in addition forty-two other cities—
7. a total of forty-eight cities with their pasture lands which you will assign to the Levites.
8. In assigning the cities from what the Israelites possess, take more from a larger group and fewer from a smaller one, so that each will cede cities to the Levites in proportion to the heritage which it receives.
9. The Lord spoke to Moses:
10. Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you go across the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11. select for yourselves cities to serve as cities of asylum, where a homicide who has killed someone inadvertently may flee.
12. These cities will serve you as places of asylum from the avenger of blood, so that a homicide will not be put to death until tried before the community.
13. As for the cities you assign, you will have six cities of asylum:
14. you will designate three cities beyond the Jordan, and you will designate three cities in the land of Canaan. These will be cities of asylum.
15. These six cities will serve as places of asylum for the Israelites, and for the resident or transient aliens among them, so that anyone who has killed a person inadvertently may flee there.