² you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it. ³ You shall prepare the roads^[a] for yourselves, and you shall divide the regions of your land into thirds that Yahweh your God gives you as a possession, so that it will be available for any manslayer to flee there.^[b]

⁴ “Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live there who has killed his neighbor unintentionally,^[c] and he did not hate him previously.^[d]