Josua 20

1 Och Herren talade med Josua, och sade:

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 Säg Israels barnom: Skicker ibland eder några fristäder, om hvilka jag eder genom Mosen sagt hafver;

“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 Att dit må fly en mandråpare, som slår en själ oförvarandes och ovetandes; att de må ibland eder fri vara för blodhämnaren.

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 Och den som flyr till någon af de städer, han skall stå utanför stadsporten, och för de äldsta i staden förtälja sin sak; så skola de taga honom in i staden till sig, och få honom rum, att han må bo när dem.

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 Och om blodhämnaren kommer efter honom, skola de icke öfverantvarda dråparen i hans händer, efter han oförvarandes slog sin nästa, och var icke tillförene hans ovän.

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 Så skall han bo i stadenom, tilldess han står för menighetene till rätta, allt intilldess öfverste Presten dör, som på den tiden är; då skall dråparen komma till sin stad igen, och i sitt hus i stadenom, der han utflydder var.

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 Då helgade de Kedes i Galilea på Naphthali berg, och Sechem på Ephraims berg, och KariathArba, det är Hebron, på Juda berg;

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 Och på hinsidon Jordan vid Jericho österut skickade de Bezer i öknene på slättmarkene, af Rubens slägte; och Ramoth i Gilead, af Gads slägte, och Golan i Basan, af Manasse slägte.

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 Det voro då de städer, som Israels barnom förelagde voro, och främlingomen som ibland dem bodde, att dit skulle fly den som en själ oförvarandes sloge; att han icke skulle ihjälslås af blodhämnaren, intilldess han hade ståndit för menighetene.

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].