Joshua 20 - Introduction

1 God commandeth,

7 and the children of Israel appoint the sixe cities of Refuge.

1 The Lord also spake vnto Ioshua, saying,

2 Speake to the children of Israel, saying, [Note: Exodus 21:13; Numbers 35:6; Numbers 11:14; Deuteronomy 19:2.] Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake vnto you by the hand of Moses:

3 That the slayer that killeth any person vnawares and vnwittingly, may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the auenger of blood.

4 And when he that doeth flee vnto one of those cities, shall stand at the entring

[Cities of refuge.]

of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the eares of the Elders of that citie; they shall take him into the citie vnto them, and giue him a place, that he may dwell among them.

5 And if the auenger of blood pursue after him, then they shal not deliuer the slayer vp into his hand: because hee smote his neighbour vnwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.

6 And hee shall dwell in that citie, vntill he stand before the Congregation for iudgement, and [Note: Numbers 35:25.] vntill the death of the high Priest that shall bee in those dayes: then shall the slayer returne, and come vnto his owne city, and vnto his owne house, vnto the citie from whence he fled.

7 And they [Note: Hebrew: sanctified.] appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (which is Hebron) in the mountaine of Iudah.

8 And on the other side Iordan by Iericho Eastward, they assigned [Note: Deuteronomy 4:43; 1 Chronicles 6:78.] Bezer in the wildernesse vpon the plaine, 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.

9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that soiourneth among them, that whosoeuer killeth any person at vnawares might flee thither, & not die by the hand of the auenger of blood, vntill he stood before the Congregation.