Moses continued to speak to the people, saying,
"When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have taken their cities and houses, then you must set apart for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Build roads to them and divide the land the Lord gives you into three parts, so that anyone who kills another person may flee there for safety.
This is the rule concerning someone who kills another without intent or hatred beforehand. For example, if a man goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut wood, and as he swings his ax the head flies off and strikes his neighbor, causing his death, that man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in anger, overtake him, and kill him, even though he is not guilty of murder, since it was not done out of hatred. This is why I command you to set aside three cities.
If the Lord your God enlarges your land, as He promised your ancestors, and gives you all the territory He swore to them, and if you carefully keep all His commands—to love the Lord your God and walk in His ways—then you shall set aside three additional cities, making six in all. Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in the land the Lord your God is giving you, and so that you will not bring guilt upon yourselves.
But if a man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, attacks and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his town shall send for him and hand him over to the avenger of blood to be put to death. Show him no pity. You must purge Israel of the guilt of shedding innocent blood so that it may go well with you.
Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone, which those before you have set, in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
No one is to be convicted of a crime on the testimony of a single witness. Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If a malicious witness gives false testimony against someone, both parties must stand before the Lord, in the presence of the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must make a careful investigation, and if the witness is found to be lying, giving false testimony, then you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. In this way, you will remove the evil from among you.
The rest of the people will hear about this and be afraid, and such wickedness will not be done again in Israel. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot."