Six Cities of Refuge
(Numbers 35:6-34;Deuteronomy 4:41-43;Deuteronomy 19:1-14)
1The LORDalso spakeunto Joshua,saying,2Speakto the childrenof Israel,saying,Appoint outfor you citiesof refuge,whereof I spakeunto you by the handof Moses:3That the slayerthat killeth[any] personunawares[and] unwittinglymay fleethither: and they shall be your refugefrom the avengerof blood.4And when he that doth fleeunto oneof those citiesshall standat the enteringof the gateof the city,and shall declarehis causein the earsof the eldersof that city,they shall takehim into the cityunto them, and givehim a place,that he may dwellamong them.5And if the avengerof bloodpursueafterhim, then they shall not deliverthe slayerup into his hand;because he smotehis neighbourunwittingly,and hatedhim not beforetime.6And he shall dwellin that city,until he standbeforethe congregationfor judgment,[and] until the deathof the highpriestthatshall be in those days:then shall the slayerreturn,and comeunto his own city,and unto his own house,unto the cityfrom whence he fled.
7And they appointedKedeshin Galileein mountNaphtali,and Shechemin mountEphraim,and Kirjatharba,which [is] Hebron,in the mountainof Judah.8And on the other sideJordanby Jerichoeastward,they assignedBezerin the wildernessupon the plainout of the tribeof Reuben,and Ramothin Gileadout of the tribeof Gad,and Golanin Bashanout of the tribeof Manasseh.9These were the citiesappointedfor all the childrenof Israel,and for the strangerthat sojournethamongthem, that whosoever killeth[any] personat unawaresmight fleethither, and not dieby the handof the avengerof blood,until he stoodbeforethe congregation.
