Deuteronomy 19:3-5

New Living Translation

³ Survey the territory,^[a] and divide the land the Lord your God is giving you into three districts, with one of these cities in each district. Then anyone who has killed someone can flee to one of the cities of refuge for safety.

⁴ “If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, the slayer may flee to any of these cities to live in safety. ⁵ For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.