Refuge (Asylum)

Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.

Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled

and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed,

because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.

Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.

“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,

they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,

This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.

And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.

And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,

the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,