⁴ “And ^(A)this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor ^[a]unintentionally, not having hated him in time past—

¹⁵ These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, ^(A)for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.

^16 (B)‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁷ And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. ^19 (C)The^[a] avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. ^20 (D)If he pushes him out of hatred or, ^(E)while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, ²¹ or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

²² ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly ^(F)without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, ²³ or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, ²⁴ then ^(G)the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.

^42 (A)that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live:

² Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your ^(A)God said to you, ‘You shall ^(B)shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ”

^4 (A)Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

^6 (A)lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past.

² And Jacob saw the ^(A)countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not ^(B)favorable toward him as before.