Joshua, Chapter 20:

advertising

Joshua Verses, Chapter 20 of the Book of Joshua of the Bible.

Cities of refuge

1. The Lord spoke to Joshua, saying:
2. “Tell the Israelites to choose cities of refuge, as I commanded through Moses,
3. so that anyone who kills anyone unintentionally and accidentally can flee there and protect themselves from the avenger of blood.
4. When the unintentional killer arrives in one of these cities, he must appear before the city authorities and explain what happened. They will welcome you and give you a place to live among them.
5. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they will not hand him over, for he killed someone without intention, without malice and without premeditation.
6. However, he must remain in that city until he appears before the assembly for judgment and until the death of the high priest in office at that time. Then he will be able to return to his own home, to the city he fled from.”
7. Then they separated Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kiriath-Arba, which is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah.
8. On the east side of the Jordan, near Jericho, they chose Bezer, in the desert highland of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth, in Gilead, in the tribe of Gad; and Golan, in Bashan, in the tribe of Manasseh.
9. Thus, any Israelite or resident alien who unintentionally killed someone could flee to one of these designated cities and escape the avenger of blood, before appearing before the assembly for judgment.