[The Pentateuch]

¶ The .xix. Chapter.

When the Lord thy Gad hath destroyed the nations whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou hast conquered them and dwellest in their cities and in their houses: thou shalt appoint .iij. cities in the land which the Lord thy God giveth the to ⟨image 353⟩possess it: thou shalt prepare the way and deuyde the costs of thy land which the Lord thy God giveth the to inherit, in to .iij. parts that whosoever committeth murder may flee thither.

WHen the Lorde thy Gad hath destroyed the nacyons whose londe the Lorde thy God geueth the, and thou hast conquered thē and dwellest in their cities and in their housses: thou shalt appoynte .iij. cities in the lande whiche the Lorde thy God geueth the to ⟨image 353⟩possesse it: thou shalt prepare the waye and deuyde the costes of thy lande whiche the Lorde thy God geueth the to enheret, in to .iij. partes that whosoeuer committeth murthur may flee thither.

And this is the cause of the slayer that shall¹ flee thither and be saved: If he smite his neighbour ignorantly and hated him not in time passed: As when a man goeth unto the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and as his hā de fetcheth a stroke with the axe, the head slippeth from the helve and smiteth his neighbour that he dye: the same shall flee unto one off the same cities and be saved. Lest the executer of blood follow after the slayer while his heart is hot and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him, and yet there is no cause worthy of death in him, in as much as he hated not his neighbour in time passed. Wherefore I