Deuteronomy 19:5-7

English Standard Version Anglicised

⁵ as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbour so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, ⁶ lest ^(A)the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbour in the past. ⁷ Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities.