12 “Anyone who strikes a man so that he dies must be put to death.+ 13 But if he does it unintentionally and the true God lets it happen, I will designate for you a place where he can flee.+

4 “Now this is what should take place regarding the manslayer who may flee there in order to live: When he strikes his fellow man unintentionally and he did not previously hate him;+ 5 as when he goes with his fellow man into the forest to gather wood and he raises his hand to cut the tree with the ax, but the axhead flies off the handle and hits his fellow man and he dies, the manslayer should flee to one of these cities to live.+

2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Select for yourselves the cities of refuge+ about which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 so that the manslayer who unintentionally or accidentally* kills someone* may flee there. And they will serve as a refuge for you from the avenger of blood.+