ヨシュア記 20

1 茲にヱホバ、ヨシユアに告て言たまひけるは

Then the Lord told Joshua,

2 汝イスラエルの子孫に告て言へ汝等モーセによりて我が汝らに語りおきし逃遁の邑を擇び定め

“Tell the Israelites, ‘Assign sanctuary towns, as I instructed you through Moses.

3 誤りて知ずに人を殺せる者を其處に逃れしめよ是は汝らが仇打する者を避て逃るべき處なり

Then any man who kills somebody by accident, unintentionally, can run there and they will be protected from those who wish to take revenge.

4 斯る者は是等の邑の一に逃れゆき邑の門の入口に立てその邑の長老等の耳にその事情を述べし然る時は彼ら之をその邑に受いれ處を與へて己の中に住しむべし

When he gets to one of these towns, he shall state his case to the elders at the town gates. They must allow him to enter, and they will also arrange a place for him to stay.

5 假令仇打する者追ゆくとも彼らその人を殺せる者を之が手に交すべからず其は彼知ずして人を殺せるにて素より之を惡みをりしに非ればなり

If the one seeking revenge comes looking for the man, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, because he killed someone unintentionally and without deliberate hatred.

6 その人は會衆の前に立て審判を受るまで其時の祭司の長の死る迄その邑に住をるべし然る後その人を殺せる者己の邑に歸り往てその家にいたり己が逃いでし邑に住むべし

He shall remain in that town until he has received a public trial and a verdict has been given, and until the death of the high priest of the time. Then he is free to return to his home, back to the town from where he ran away.’”

7 爰にナフタリの山地なるガリラヤのケデシ、エフライムの山地なるシケムおよびユダの山地なるキリアテアルバ(すなはちヘブロン)を之がために分ち

So they assigned the following sanctuary towns: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (or Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.

8 またヨルダンの彼旁ヱリコの東の方にてはルベンの支派の中より平地なる荒野のベゼルを擇び定めガドの支派の中よりギレアデのラモテを擇び定めマナセの支派の中よりバシヤンのゴランを擇び定めたり

On the other side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, they assigned: Bezer, in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

9 是すなはちイスラエルの一切の子孫および之が中に寄寓をる他國人のために設けたる邑々にして凡て人を誤まり殺せる者を此に逃れしめ其會衆の前に立ざる中に仇打の手に死るがごときことなからしめんためなり

These were the assigned towns for all the Israelites, as well as for the foreigners living among them. Anyone who unintentionally killed someone could go there so they would not be killed by those who wished to take revenge before they had received a public trial and been given a guilty verdict.