2
thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God gives thee to inherit.
3
Thou shalt prepare thee a way and divide the borders of thy land, which the LORD thy God gives thee to inherit, into three parts, so that every manslayer may flee there.
4
And this
is the case of the manslayer who is to flee there, that he may live: whoever kills his neighbour by mistake, whom he hated not in time past;
5
and he who went into the woods with his neighbour to cut firewood and his hand fetched a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree and the head slipped from the handle and lighted upon his neighbour so that he died, he shall flee unto one of those cities and live,
6
lest the avenger {Heb. redeemer} of the blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him, whereas he
was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
7
Therefore, I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
8
And if the LORD thy God enlarges thy borders, as he has sworn unto thy fathers, and gives thee all the land which he was to give unto thy fathers,
9
when thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day: to love the LORD thy God, and to walk all the days in his ways, then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three,
10
that innocent blood not be shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God gives thee
for an inheritance, and
the blood shall
not be upon thee.
11
But when any man hates his neighbour and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and smites him mortally that he dies and flees into one of these cities,
12
then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger {Heb. redeemer} of blood, and he shall die.