Numbers 35:10-15
35:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan River 1 into the land of Canaan,
35:11 you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.
35:12 And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community.
35:13 These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge.
35:14 “You must give three towns on this side of the Jordan, and you must give three towns in the land of Canaan; they must be towns of refuge.
35:15 These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites, and for the foreigner, and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there.
Numbers 35:25-28
35:25 The community must deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the community must restore him to the town of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there 2 until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the consecrated oil.
35:26 But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which he had fled,
35:27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the town of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the slayer, he will not be guilty of blood,
35:28 because the slayer 3 should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to the land of his possessions.
Numbers 35:32
35:32 And you must not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a town of refuge, to allow him to return home and live on his own land before the death of the high priest. 4
1 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “in it.”
3 tn Heb “he.”
4 tn Heb “the priest.” The Greek and the Syriac have “high priest.” The present translation, along with many English versions, uses “high priest” as a clarification.