Joshua 20

1 The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,

Og HERREN talede til Josua og sagde:

2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:

»Tal til Israeliterne og sig: Afgiv de Tilflugtsbyer, jeg talede til eder om ved Moses,

3 That the slayer that killeth [any] person unawares [and] unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

for at en Manddraber, der uforsætligt og af Vanvare slaar en ihjel, kan ty til dem, saa at de kan være eder Tilflugtssteder mod Blodhævneren.

4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

Naar han tyr hen til en af disse Byer og stiller sig i Byportens Indgang og forebringer sin Sag for Byens Ældste, skal de optage ham i Byen hos sig og anvise ham et Sted, hvor han kan bo hos dem;

5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.

og naar Blodhævneren forfølger ham, maa de ikke udlevere Manddraberen til ham, thi han har slaaet sin Næste ihjel af Vanvare uden i Forvejen at have baaret Nag til ham;

6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, [and] until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.

han skal blive boende i denne By, indtil han har været stillet for Menighedens Domstol, eller den Mand, som paa den Tid er Ypperstepræst, dør; derefter kan Manddraberen vende tilbage til sin By og sit Hjem, den By, han er flygtet fra.«

7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which [is] Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

Da helligede de Kedesj i Galilæa i Naftalis Bjerge, Sikem i Efraims Bjerge og Kirjat-Arba, det er Hebron, i Judas Bjerge.

8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

Og østen for Jordan afgav de Bezer i Ørkenen, paa Højsletten, af Rubens Stamme, Ramot i Gilead at Gads Stamme og Golan i Basan af Manasses Stamme.

9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth [any] person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

Det var de Byer, som fastsattes for alle Israeliterne og de fremmede, som bor iblandt dem, i det Øjemed at enhver, der uforsætligt slaar en ihjel, kan ty derhen og undgaa Døden for Blodhævnerens Haand, før han har været stillet for Menighedens Domstol.