10 "Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, 'You will soon go across the Jordan River. You will enter Canaan.
11 When you do, choose the cities to go to for safety. People who have killed someone by accident can run to one of those cities.
12 They will be places of safety for them. People will be safe there from those who want to kill them. Then those who are charged with murder will not die before their case has been brought to the community court.
13 " 'Six towns will be the cities you can go to for safety.
14 Three will be east of the Jordan River. The other three will be in Canaan.
15 " 'Those six towns will be places where the people of Israel can go for safety. Outsiders and any other people living in Israel can also go to them for safety. So anyone who has killed another person by accident can run there.
16 " 'Suppose a person uses an iron object to hit and kill someone. Then he is a murderer. He must be put to death.