Cities of Refuge

“Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns.

select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.

They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.

These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.

Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.

These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.

The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

“‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled

The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.

“‘Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their own land before the death of the high priest.

Cities of Refuge

Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan,

Cities of Refuge

When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,

Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

Miscellaneous Laws

If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand them over to their master.

He will say: “Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in,

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’

Cities of Refuge

Then the Lord said to Joshua:

“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah,

In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,

The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,

“The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”