Deuteronomy 19:4-6

New American Standard Bible 1995

⁴ “^(A)Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he ^[a]kills his friend ^[b]unintentionally, ^[c]not hating him previously— ⁵ as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand ^[d]swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the ^[e]handle and ^[f]strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live; ⁶ otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer ^[g]in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and ^[h]take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously.