Joshua 20

1 And YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying,

The LORD also spoke to Joshua, saying,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, Give cities of refuge for yourselves, as I have spoken to you by the hand of Moses,

Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint for you cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses:

3 for the fleeing there of a manslayer striking life through ignorance, without knowledge; and they have been for a refuge to you from the redeemer of blood.

That the slayer that killeth any person unintentionally and unknowingly may flee there: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

4 When [one] has fled to one of these cities, and has stood [at] the opening of the gate of the city, and has spoken his matter in the ears of [the] elderly of that city, then they have gathered him into the city to them, and have given a place to him, and he has dwelt with them.

And when he that doth flee to one of those cities shall stand at the entrance 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 to them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

5 And when the redeemer of blood pursues after him, then they do not shut up the manslayer into his hand, for he has struck his neighbor without knowledge, and is not hating him until now;

And if the avenger of blood shall pursue him, then they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unknowingly, and had not hated him in times past.

6 and he has dwelt in that city until his standing before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the chief priest who is in those days—then the manslayer turns back and has come to his city, and to his house, to the city from where he fled.”

And he shall dwell in that city, until he shall 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 to his own city, and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.

7 And they sanctify Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it [is] Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah;

And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

8 and beyond the Jordan, [at] Jericho eastward, they have given Bezer in the wilderness, in 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.

And on the other side of 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.

9 These have been cities of meeting for all the sons of Israel, and for a sojourner who is sojourning in their midst, for the fleeing there of anyone striking life through ignorance, and he does not die by the hand of the redeemer of blood until his standing before the congregation.

These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger sojourning among them, that whoever should kill any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.