Joshua 20

1 And he spoke Yahweh to Joshua saying.

And Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua, saying,

2 Speak to [the] people of Israel saying assign for yourselves [the] cities of refuge which I spoke to you by [the] hand of Moses.

'Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Give for you cities of refuge, as I have spoken unto you by the hand of Moses,

3 To flee there towards a killer [who] strikes down a person by inadvertence with not knowledge and they will become for you a refuge from [the] avenger of blood.

for the fleeing thither of a man-slayer smiting life inadvertently, without knowledge; and they have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer of blood.

4 And he will flee to one - of the cities these and he will stand [the] entrance of [the] gate of the city and he will speak in [the] ears of ([the] elders of the city *LA(bh)*) that words his and they will gather him the city towards to themselves and they will give to him a place and he will dwell with them.

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

5 And if he will pursue [the] avenger of blood after him and not they will deliver up the killer in hand his for with not knowledge he struck neighbor his and not [was] hating he him from yesterday [the] third day.

'And when the redeemer of blood doth pursue after him, then they do not shut up the man-slayer into his hand, for without knowledge he hath smitten his neighbour, and is not hating him hitherto;

6 And he will dwell - in the city that until stands he before the congregation for judgment until [the] death of the priest great who he will be in the days those then - he will return the killer and he will go to own city his and to own house his to the city where he fled from there.

and he hath dwelt in that city till his standing before the company for judgment, till the death of the chief priest who is in those days — then doth the man-slayer turn back and hath come unto his city, and unto his house, unto the city whence he fled.'

7 And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in [the] hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in [the] hill country of Ephraim and Kiriath Arba that [is] Hebron in [the] hill country of Judah.

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;

8 And from [the] other side of [the] Jordan of Jericho east-ward they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain from [the] tribe of Reuben and Ramoth in Gilead from [the] tribe of Gad and (Golan *Q(K)*) in Bashan from [the] tribe of Manasseh.

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.

9 These they were [the] cities of appointing for all - [the] people of Israel and for the sojourner who sojourns in midst of them to flee there towards any [one who] strikes down a person by inadvertence and not he will die by [the] hand of [the] avenger of blood until stands he before the congregation.

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 thither of any one smiting life inadvertently, and he doth not die by the hand of the redeemer of blood till his standing before the company.