19 ¹ "When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 19 ² you shall set apart three cities for you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess. 19 ³ You shall prepare the roads, and divide into three parts the area of the land which Yahweh your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

19 ⁴ "This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If any one kills his neighbour unintentionally without having been at enmity with him in time past - 19 ⁵ as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbour so that he dies - he may flee to one of these cities and save his life; 19 ⁶ lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and wound him mortally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he was not at enmity with his neighbour in time past. 19 ⁷ Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. 19 ⁸ And if Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers - 19 ⁹ provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you this day, by loving Yahweh your God and by walking ever in his ways - then you shall add three other cities to these three,