Deuteronomy 19:6–12

^6dlest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. ⁷Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’

⁸“Now if the Lord your God ^eenlarges your territory, as He swore to ^fyour fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, ⁹and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, ^gthen you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, ^10hlest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

¹¹“But ⁱif anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, ¹²then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.