Numbers 35:16–28

¹⁶“ ‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death.^{l 17}Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁸Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁹The avenger of blood^m shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.^{n 20}If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally^o so that they die ²¹or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;^p that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood^q shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

²²“ ‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally^{r 23}or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, ²⁴the assembly^s must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. ²⁵The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest,^t who was anointed^u with the holy oil.^v

²⁶“ ‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled ²⁷and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. ²⁸The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.