⁵ And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood;^[a] I will require it from any animal^(A) and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.^(B)

⁶ Otherwise, the avenger of blood in the heat of his anger^[a] might pursue the one who committed manslaughter, overtake him because the distance is great, and strike him dead. Yet he did not deserve to die,^[b] since he did not previously hate his neighbor.

¹² the elders of his city are to send for him, take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood and he will die.

⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.

⁹ These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them,^(A) so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.

¹¹ She replied, “Please, may the king invoke the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!” ^(A)

“As the Lord lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.”^(B)

⁶ This means one must not transgress against and take advantage^(A) of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you.