1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near
Jericho, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto
the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in;
and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round
about them. 3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the
suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for
all their beasts.
... 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into
the land of Canaan; 11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of
refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any
person at unawares. 12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from
the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the
congregation in judgment. 13 And of these cities which ye shall give six
cities shall ye have for refuge.
God set up cities where if a man killed another man accidentally, he
could flee to that city of refuge ... If the man killed a man on
purpose, he would be stoned by the congregation if found guilty by two
or more witnesses. He could not be found guilty by one witness.
The man fleeing to city of refuge must stay in that city. If he came
out, the relatives of the man he killed accidentally could slay him.
If the high priest died, the man could come out without penalty.
This is recorded in detail in Numbers 35.
Numbers 35 ...26 But if the slayer shall at any time
come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city
of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not
be guilty of blood:28 Because he should have remained in the city of his
refuge until the death of the high priest:but after the death of the
high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
...
33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are:for blood it
defileth the land:and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is
shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell:for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.