Cities Of Refuge Are Established

1 And the Lord said to Joshua,

1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

1 The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,

1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua,

1 Then the LORD told Joshua,

2 Say to the children of Israel, Let certain towns be marked out as safe places, as I said to you by the mouth of Moses,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(a)Designate (A)the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you (b)through Moses,

2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:

2 “Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,(A)

2 "Tell the people of Israel to set apart cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses,

3 So that any man who in error and without design has taken the life of another, may go in flight to them: and they will be safe places for you from him who has the right of punishment for blood.

3 that the manslayer who (c)kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.

3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

3 so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.(B)

3 so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally and without premeditation may run there and be protected from closely related avengers.

4 And if anyone goes in flight to one of those towns, and comes into the public place of the town, and puts his cause before the responsible men of the town, they will take him into the town and give him a place among them where he may be safe.

4 He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the (B)gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall (d)take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them.

4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before(a) the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.(C)

4 He may run to one of those cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate, and tell his side of the story to the elders of the city. They are to bring him inside the city with them and provide him a place to live among them.

5 And if the one who has the right of punishment comes after him, they are not to give the taker of life up to him; because he was the cause of his neighbour's death without designing it and not in hate.

5 Now (C)if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.

5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.

5 And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.

5 Now if the closely related avenger pursues him, then they are not to hand the killer over to him, because he killed his neighbor without premeditation and without hating him beforehand.

6 And he is to go on living in that town till he has to come before the meeting of the people to be judged; (till the death of him who is high priest at that time:) then the taker of life may come back to his town and to his house, to the town from which he had gone in flight.

6 He shall dwell in that city (D)until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall (e)return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.’”

6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.

6 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.(D) Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”

6 He is to live in that city until he stands trial before the community, until the death of the one who is high priest at that time. Then the killer may return to his own city and to his own home, that is, to the city from which he fled."

7 So they made selection of Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (which is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah.

7 So they (f)set apart (E)Kedesh in (g)Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in (F)the hill country of Judah.

7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

7 So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee,(E) Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.(F)

7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

8 And on the east side of Jordan at Jericho, they made selection of Bezer in the waste land, in the table-land, out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they (h)designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

8 Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben’s tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad’s tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh’s tribe.

8 East of Jericho beyond the Jordan River, they reserved Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

9 These were the towns marked out for all the children of Israel and for the man from a strange country living among them, so that anyone causing the death of another in error, might go in flight there, and not be put to death by him who has the right of punishment for blood till he had come before the meeting of the people.

9 (G)These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever (i)kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.

9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

9 These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them,(G) so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.

9 These were appointed to be cities for all the Israelis and for the foreigner who lives among them, so that whoever kills anyone unintentionally may run there and not die at the hands of a closely related avenger until he stands for trial before the community.

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain

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