Ἰησοῦς Nαυῆ 20

1 Και ελάλησε Κύριος προς τον Ιησούν λέγων,

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 Είπε προς τους υιούς Ισραήλ λέγων, Διορίσατε εις εαυτούς τας πόλεις της καταφυγής, περί των οποίων είπα προς εσάς διά του Μωϋσέως·

“Tell the Israeli people that they should choose some cities to which people [can run] in order to be safe/protected, like I told Moses that they should do.

3 διά να φεύγη εκεί ο φονεύς, όστις φονεύση άνθρωπον ακουσίως εξ αγνοίας· και αύται θέλουσιν είσθαι εις εσάς διά καταφύγιον από του εκδικητού του αίματος.

If someone kills another person accidentally, not intending to kill that person, the one who killed that person may run/escape to one of these cities and be safe/protected from someone trying to get revenge for that person’s death [MTY].

4 Και όταν ο φεύγων εις μίαν εκ των πόλεων τούτων σταθή εις την είσοδον της πύλης της πόλεως, και λαλήση την υπόθεσιν αυτού εις επήκοον των πρεσβυτέρων της πόλεως εκείνης, ούτοι θέλουσι δεχθή αυτόν εις την πόλιν προς εαυτούς και δώσει τόπον εις αυτόν, και θέλει κατοικεί μετ' αυτών.

When the one who killed someone arrives at the gate of one of those cities, he must stop there and tell the leaders of the city what happened. [If they believe him], they must allow him to enter the city, and they must give him a place to live among them.

5 Και εάν ο εκδικητής του αίματος καταδιώξη αυτόν, δεν θέλουσι παραδώσει τον φονέα εις τας χείρας αυτού· διότι εξ αγνοίας επάταξε τον πλησίον αυτού και δεν εμίσει αυτόν πρότερον.

If some relative of the one who was killed comes to that city to get revenge, the leaders of that city must not allow the relative to take the killer, because what happened was accidental. He did not hate that person and as a result deliberately kill him.

6 Και θέλει κατοικεί εν εκείνη τη πόλει, εωσού παρασταθή ενώπιον της συναγωγής εις κρίσιν, έως του θανάτου του ιερέως του μεγάλου, του όντος εν ταις ημέραις εκείναις· τότε ο φονεύς θέλει επιστρέψει και υπάγει εις την πόλιν αυτού και εις την οικίαν αυτού, εις την πόλιν όθεν έφυγε.

But the person who killed someone must stay in that city until the city judges put him on trial. [Only if the judges decide that the person who has run/escaped to their city did not deliberately kill the other person will they allow him to stay in that city], and he must stay there until the Supreme Priest dies. Then he may safely go back to his own town, [because the death of the Supreme Priest will be considered to atone/pay for the death of the person who was killed].”

7 Και διώρισαν την Κέδες εν τη Γαλιλαία εν τω όρει Νεφθαλί, και την Συχέμ εν τω όρει Εφραΐμ, και την Κιριάθ-αρβά, ήτις είναι η Χεβρών, εν τη ορεινή του Ιούδα.

So the Israelis chose these cities to be cities to which people could run to be safe/protected: Kedesh in the Galilee district in the hilly area where the tribe of Naphtali lived; Shechem in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived; Kiriath-Arba (which is [now named] Hebron) in the hilly area where the tribe of Judah lived;

8 Εις δε το πέραν του Ιορδάνου, πλησίον της Ιεριχώ, προς ανατολάς, διώρισαν την Βοσόρ εν τη ερήμω επί της πεδιάδος εκ της φυλής Ρουβήν, και την Ραμώθ εν τη Γαλαάδ εκ της φυλής Γαδ, και την Γωλάν εν Βασάν εκ της φυλής Μανασσή.

Bezer, on the east side of the Jordan [River] near Jericho, in the flat land in the desert where the tribe of Reuben lived; Ramoth in the Gilead [region] in the land where the tribe of Gad lived; and Golan in the Bashan region where the tribe of Manasseh lived.

9 Αύται ήσαν αι πόλεις αι διορισθείσαι διά πάντας τους υιούς Ισραήλ και διά τους ξένους τους παροικούντας μεταξύ αυτών, ώστε πας ο φονεύσας τινά εξ αγνοίας να φεύγη εκεί, και να μη θανατωθή εκ της χειρός του εκδικητού του αίματος, εωσού παρασταθή ενώπιον της συναγωγής.

Any Israeli or any foreigner who lived among us, anyone who killed someone (accidentally/without planning to do it), was allowed to run to one of those cities, and be safe/protected from some relative of the person who died coming there and killing him to get revenge. He could stay in that city until there was a trial there [to decide whether he was telling the truth or not when he said that he did not plan to kill that person].