The LORD spoke to Joshua, saying:

The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,

Speak to the people of Israel, saying: Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge that I spoke about to you through Moses.

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

These cities are to be a place where someone who unintentionally kills another person without malice can flee. They will serve as a refuge from the avenger of blood.

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

The one who flees to one of these cities must stand at the entrance of the city gate and explain their case to the elders of that city. They should take the person into the city, provide a place for them to stay, and allow them to live among them.

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.

If the avenger of blood pursues them, the city must not hand over the one who committed the killing, because they killed their neighbor unintentionally and without prior hostility.

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.

The person must stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may return to their own city and home, from which they fled.

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.

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

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

Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated 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.

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.

These were the appointed cities for all the Israelites and for the foreigners living among them, so that anyone who unintentionally killed another person could flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until they stood trial before the assembly.

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.