You are to give the Levites six cities of refuge to which any of you can escape if you kill someone accidentally. In addition, give them forty-two other cities

to say to the people of Israel, "Choose the cities of refuge that I had Moses tell you about.

"But suppose you accidentally kill someone you do not hate, whether by pushing him down or by throwing something at him.

Or suppose that, without looking, you throw a stone that kills someone whom you did not intend to hurt and who was not your enemy.

But if it was an accident and he did not mean to kill him, he can escape to a place which I will choose for you, and there he will be safe.

to which a man could escape and be safe if he had accidentally killed someone who had not been his enemy. He could escape to one of these cities and not be put to death.

If you accidentally kill someone who is not your enemy, you may escape to any of these cities and be safe.

For example, if two of you go into the forest together to cut wood and if, as one of you is chopping down a tree, the ax head comes off the handle and kills the other, you can run to one of those three cities and be safe.