1When Yahweh your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;
2you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
3You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.
4This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and didn`t hate him in time past;
5as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities and live:
6lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he didn`t hate him in time past.
7Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for you.
