Joshua 20

1 And the Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying,

And Yahweh spake unto Joshua, saying:

2 speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge, whereof I have spoken unto you by the hand of Moses;

Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, —Set out for you the cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you, by the hand of Moses:

3 That thither may flee the manslayer that killeth any person unawares, without knowledge; and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of the blood.

that the manslayer who slayeth a person by mistake, unwittingly, may flee thither, —so shall they be unto you for refuge from the blood-redeemer,

4 And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and he shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and speak in the ears of the elders of that city his words; and they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

and he shall flee unto one of these cities and present himself at the entrance of the gate of the city, and shall speak, in the ears of the elders of that city, his defence, —and they shall take him for protection into the city unto them, and shall give him a place, so shall he dwell with them.

5 And if the avenger of the blood should pursue after him, then shall they not deliver the manslayer up into his hand; because without knowledge did he smite his neighbor, and he was not an enemy to him in time past.

And, when the blood-redeemer pursueth after him, then shall they not deliver up the manslayer, into his hand, —because, unwittingly, it was that he slew his neighbour, and had not been, cherishing hatred, towards him, aforetime;

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

so shall he remain in that city, until he standeth before the assembly, for judgment, until the death of the high-priest who shall be in those days, —then, shall the manslayer return, and enter into his own city, and into his own house, within the city from whence he fled.

7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in the mountain of Naphtali, and Shechem in the mountain of Ephraim, and Kiryath-arba', which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

So then they set apart Kadesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba, the same, is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.

8 And on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho eastward, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness in the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gil'ad from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Menasseh.

And, beyond the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness, in the table-land, 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.

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

These, were the cities appointed for all the sons of Israel, and for the sojourner who sojourneth in their midst, that whosoever should slay a person by mistake, might flee thither, —and not die by the hand of the blood-redeemer, until he should stand before the assembly.