Joshua 20

1 And the Lord spak to Josue, and seide, Spek thou to the sones of Israel, and seie thou to hem,

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

2 Departe ye the citees of fugytyues, `ether of men exilid for vnwilful schedyng of blood, of whiche citees Y spak to you bi the hond of Moises,

“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

3 that whoeuer sleeth vnwytyngli a man, fle to tho citees;

so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

4 that whanne he hath fled to oon of these citees, he may ascape the ire of the neiybore, which is veniere of blood. And he schal stonde bifor the yatis of the citee, and he schal speke to the eldre men of that citee tho thingis that schulen preue hym innocent; and so thei schulen reseyue hym, and schulen yyue to hym place to dwelle.

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 whanne the vengere of blood pursueth hym, thei schulen not bitake hym in to the hondis of the vengere; for vnwityngli he killide his neiybore, and is not preued his enemy bifor the secounde dai ethir the thridde dai.

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 And he schal dwelle in that citee, til he stonde bifor the doom, and yelde cause of his dede. And he that killide a man, dwelle `in that citee, til the grete preest die, which is in that tyme; thanne the mansleere schal turne ayen, and he schal entre in to his citee and hows, `fro which he fledde.

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.”

7 And thei ordeyneden Cedes in Galilee, of the hil of Neptalym, and Sichem in the hil of Effraym, and Cariatharbe, thilke is Ebron, in the hil of Juda.

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.

8 And biyende Jordan, ayens the eest coost of Jerico, thei ordeyneden Bosor, which is set in the feeldi wildirnesse of the lynage of Ruben, and Ramoth in Galaad, of the lynage of Gad, and Gaulon in Basan, of the lynage of Manasses.

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.

9 These citees weren ordeyned to alle the sones of Israel, and to comelyngis that dwellen among hem, that he that killide vnwityngli a man, schulde fle to tho citees; and he schulde not die in the hond of neiybore, coueitynge to venge the blood sched out, til he stood bifor the puple, to declare his cause.

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.