Yahusha Ba'Nun (Joshua) — 20

The Cities of Refuge

1 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar to Yahusha Ba'Nun, 

2 “Now tell the Yasharalym to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Musha. 

3 Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed.

4 “Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the death will appear before the elders at the city gate and present his case. They must allow him to enter the city and give him a place to live among them. 

5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility.

6 But the slayer must stay in that city and be tried by the local assembly, which will render a judgment, and he must continue to live in that city until the death of the high Kuhan who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, he is free to return to his own home in the town from which he fled.”

7 The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kadash of Galilyan, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shacham, in the hill country of Aphraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, Habrun), in the hill country of Yahudah. 

8 On the east side of the Yurdan River, across from Yarichu, the following cities were designated: Bazar, in the wilderness plain of the tribe of Rauban; Ramuth in Gilaad, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and Gulan in Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manassah. 

9 These cities were set apart for all the Yasharalym as well as the foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed another person could take refuge in one of these cities. In this way, they could escape being killed in revenge prior to standing trial before the local assembly.