4. The grazing lands around the towns that you will give to the Levites must extend to a distance of 500 yards from the town wall.
5. “You must measure from outside the wall of the town on the east 1,000 yards, and on the south side 1,000 yards, and on the west side 1,000 yards, and on the north side 1,000 yards, with the town in the middle. This territory must belong to them as grazing land for the towns.
6. Now from these towns that you will give to the Levites you must select six towns of refuge to which a person who has killed someone may flee. And you must give them forty-two other towns.
7. “So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is forty-eight. You must give these together with their grazing lands.
8. The towns you will give must be from the possession of the Israelites. From the larger tribes you must give more; and from the smaller tribes fewer. Each must contribute some of its own towns to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance allocated to each.
9. Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
10. “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,
11. you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.
12. And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community.
13. These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge.
14. “You must give three towns on this side of the Jordan, and you must give three towns in the land of Canaan; they must be towns of refuge.
15. These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites, and for the foreigner, and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there.
16. “But if he hits someone with an iron tool so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.
17. If he strikes him by throwing a stone large enough that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.
18. Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon so that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.