² “Say to the people of Israel, ^(A)‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

^2 (A)you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³ You shall measure the distances^[a] and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

⁴ “This is the provision for ^(B)the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— ⁵ as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, ⁶ lest ^(C)the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. ⁷ Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. ^8 (D)And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, ^(E)as he has sworn to your fathers, and ^(F)gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— ⁹ provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—^(G)then you shall add three other cities to these three, ¹⁰ lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

¹¹ “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him ^(H)and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, ¹² then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. ^13 (I)Your eye shall not pity him, ^(J)but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood^[b] from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Cities of Refuge

⁴¹ Then Moses ^(A)set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan, ⁴² that ^(B)the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life: ^43 (C)Bezer in the wilderness on the ^(D)tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

^11 (A)then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. ¹² The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. ¹³ And the cities that you give shall be your ^(B)six cities of refuge. ^14 (C)You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and ^(D)for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.

^16 (E)“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. ¹⁷ And 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. ¹⁸ Or 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 (F)The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. ²⁰ And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, ^(G)lying in wait, so that he died, ²¹ or 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. ^(H)The 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 ^(I)without lying in wait ²³ or 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, ²⁴ then ^(J)the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and ^(K)the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.

⁶ “The cities that you give to the Levites shall be ^(A)the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.

¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which ^(A)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope ^(B)set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into ^(C)the inner place behind the curtain,

³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(A)It is God who justifies. ^34 (B)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(C)who is at the right hand of God, ^(D)who indeed is interceding for us.^[a]

Life in the Spirit

8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.^[a]

^13 (A)But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then ^(B)I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. ¹⁴ But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, ^(C)you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.