Joshua 20
1 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
Then the LORD said to Joshua,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Assign the cities of refuge, [of] which I spoke to you by Moses.
“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,
3 [Even] a refuge to the slayer who has struck a man unintentionally; and the cities shall be to you a refuge, and the slayer shall not be put to death by the avenger of blood, until he have stood before the congregation for judgement.
so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 And Joshua separated Cades in Galilee in the mount Nephthali, and Sychem in the mount Ephraim, and the city of Arboc; this is Chebron, in the mountain of Juda.
When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.
5 And beyond Jordan he appointed Bosor in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Ruben, and Aremoth in Galaad out of the tribe of Gad, and Gaulon in the country of Basan out of the tribe of Manasse.
Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
6 These [were] the cities selected for the sons of Israel, and for the stranger dwelling amongst them, that every one who smites a soul unintentionally should flee there, that he should not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he should stand before the congregation for judgement.
He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
