Deuteronomy 19:2-13

²then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

³You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.

⁴Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:

⁵If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

⁶Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

⁷This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

⁸And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,

⁹and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

¹⁰Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

¹¹If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

¹²the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

¹³You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.

Related Resources from Heartlight

Cross References for Deuteronomy 19:2-13

The Berean Standard Bible