Numbers 35:10-34
10“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, aWhen you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 bthen you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13And the cities that you give shall be your csix cities of refuge. 14 dYou shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. 15These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and efor the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.16 f“But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 17And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 18Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 19 gThe avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, hlying in wait, so that he died, 21or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. iThe avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22“But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him jwithout lying in wait 23or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, 24then kthe congregation shall judge between the manslayer and lthe avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. 25And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it muntil the death of the high priest nwho was anointed with the holy oil. 26But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, 27and othe avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. 28For he must remain in his city of refuge puntil the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. 29And these things shall be for qa statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
30“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the revidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. 32And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. 33You shall not spollute the land in which you live, for blood tpollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except uby the blood of the one who shed it. 34 vYou shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, wfor I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”
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