Numbers 35

Today's chapter covers two subjects: the cities of the Levites, where they were to live (since they had no other land in the inheritance), and a subset of those where people who accidentally killed someone could flee to avoid vengeance. The passage makes very clear, though, that killing someone intentionally or with malice did not count - those people were murderers, and not just could be killed but had to be. No ransom was to be allowed.

It is interesting to note that a prevision also was put in place stating that two or more witnesses were required in order to convict someone of murder; that helps avoid a he-said-she-said sort of situation. Also, a person who had fled to a city of refuge had to stay there until the death of the current high priest; after that he would be free to return to where he had come from, without fear of vengeance. I'm not entirely sure why that provision is in there, but it makes me wonder what the turnover rate of high priests was.