Numbers 35:16-25 ▼

16 ‘But if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with an iron object so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

17 If he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a stone in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

18 Or if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a wooden object in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

19 The blood avenger shall himself put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.

20 But if he pushed his victim out of hatred or threw something at him with malicious intent, and he died,

21 or if, in enmity, he struck the victim down with his hand, and he died, the one that struck the victim shall certainly be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 ‘But if he pushed the victim suddenly, not in enmity, or threw anything at him without malicious intent,

23 or without seeing him hit him [accidentally] with a stone object that could kill him, and he died, and [the offender] was not his enemy nor intending to harm him,

24 then the congregation shall judge between the offender and the blood avenger according to these ordinances.

25 The congregation shall rescue the offender from the hand of the blood avenger and return him to his city of refuge, [the place] to which he had escaped; and he shall live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.