28 Any of you guilty of manslaughter must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, but after that you may return home.
29 These rules apply to you and your descendants wherever you may live.
30 “Those accused of murder may be found guilty and put to death only on the evidence of two or more witnesses; the evidence of one witness is not sufficient to support an accusation of murder.
31 Murderers must be put to death. They cannot escape this penalty by the payment of money.
32 If they have fled to a city of refuge, do not allow them to make a payment in order to return home before the death of the High Priest.
33 If you did this, you would defile the land where you are living. Murder defiles the land, and except by the death of the murderer there is no way to perform the ritual of purification for the land where someone has been murdered.
34 Do not defile the land where you are living, because I am the Lord and I live among the people of Israel.”