1 And the Lord spake these things to Moses, in the field places of Moab, above Jordan, against Jericho,

2 Command thou to the sons of Israel, that they give to the deacons [or Levites], of their possessions, cities to dwell in, and the suburbs of those [or them] by compass,

3 that they dwell in the cities, and the suburbs be to beasts, and work beasts;

4 which suburbs shall be stretched forth from the walls of the cities withoutforth by compass, in the space of a thousand paces;

5 against the east coast shall be two thousand cubits, and against the south in like manner shall be two thousand cubits, and at the sea that beholdeth to the west shall be the same measure, and the north coast shall be ended by even term. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs withoutforth.

6 Forsooth of those cities which ye shall give to [the] deacons [or Levites], six shall be separated into [the] helps of fugitives, either of fleeing men, that he that shedded blood, flee to those;

7 and besides these six cities, ye shall give to the deacons another two and forty cities, that is, altogether eight and forty, with their suburbs.

8 And those cities that shall be given of the possession of the sons of Israel, more cities shall be taken away from them that have more, and fewer from them that have less; all the sons of Israel by themselves shall give by the measure of their heritage, cities to the deacons [or Levites].

9 The Lord said to Moses,

10 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, When ye have passed [over] Jordan, in[to] the land of Canaan,

11 deem ye which cities owe to be into the helps of fugitives which not willfully have shed blood.

12 In which cities when the fleer hath fled, the kinsman of him that is slain, shall not be able to slay him, till he stand in the sight of the multitude, and the cause of him be deemed.

13 Forsooth of those cities that be separated to the helps of fugitives,

14 three shall be beyond Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan;

15 as well to the sons of Israel as to comelings, and pilgrims; that he flee to those cities, that shedded blood not willfully.

16 If any man smiteth a man with iron, and he that is smitten is dead, the smiter shall be guilty of man-slaying, and he shall die.

17 If he casteth a stone, and a man is dead by the stroke thereof, the caster shall be punished in like manner.

18 If a man smitten with a staff dieth, he shall be avenged by the blood of the smiter.

19 The nigh kinsman of him that is slain shall slay the manslayer; anon as he taketh the manslayer, he shall slay him.

20 If by hatred a man hurtleth, either shoveth, a man, either casteth anything into him by ambushings,

21 either when he was enemy to him, smite him with his hand, and he is dead, the smiter shall be guilty of manslaying. The kinsman of him that is slain, anon as he findeth him, that is, the slayer, shall slay him.

22 That if by sudden case, and with-out hatred and enmities, a man doeth anything of these;

23 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

24 and this is proved, the people hearing, and the question of the blood, or death, is discussed betwixt the smiter and the kinsman of him that is slain,

25 the innocent shall be delivered from the hand of the avenger, and by sentence of judges he shall be led again into the city, to which he fled, and he shall dwell there, till the great priest die, which is anointed with [holy] oil.

26 If the slayer is found without or outside the coasts of the cities that be assigned to exiled men,

27 and he is slain of him that is avenger [of the blood], he that slayeth him shall be without guilt;

28 for the exiled man ought to sit or abide in the city till to the death of the bishop; forsooth after that that bishop is dead, the manslayer shall turn again into his land.

29 These shall be everlasting and lawful things in all your dwellings.

30 A manslayer shall be punished under witnesses; no man shall be condemned at the witnessing of one man.

31 Ye shall not take price of him which is guilty of blood, or death, anon and he shall die.

32 Men exiled, and fugitives, shall not be able to turn again in any manner into their cities, before the death of the bishop,

33 lest ye defoul the land of your habitation, which is defouled by the blood of innocent men; and it may not be cleansed in other manner, no but by the blood of him, that shedded the blood of another man.

34 And so your possession shall be cleansed, for I shall dwell with you; for I am the Lord, that dwell among the sons of Israel.