⁴⁸ In the hill country:

¹⁹ The total number of towns^(A) for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.^(B)

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh^(A) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem^(B) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba^(C) (that is, Hebron^(D)) in the hill country of Judah.^{(E) 8} East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer^(F) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead^(G) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan^(H) in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally^(I) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.^(J)

²⁹ Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah^(A) and attacked it.

¹³ These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.^{(A) 14} Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.