1 The LORD said to Joshua:
2 "Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of which I spoke to them through Moses,
3 to which one guilty of accidental and unintended homicide may flee for asylum from the avenger of blood.
4 To one of these cities the killer shall flee, and standing at the entrance of the city gate, he shall plead his case before the elders, who must receive him and assign him a place in which to live among them.
5 Though the avenger of blood pursues him, they are not to deliver up the homicide who slew his fellow man unintentionally and not out of previous hatred.
6 Once he has stood judgment before the community, he shall live on in that city till the death of the high priest who is in office at the time. Then the killer may go back home to his own city from which he fled."
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the mountain region of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountain region of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the mountain region of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they designated Bezer on the open tableland in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the designated cities to which any Israelite or stranger living among them who had killed a person accidentally might flee to escape death at the hand of the avenger of blood, until he could appear before the community.
Versículos relacionados com Joshua, 20:
Joshua chapter 20 deals with the institution of the cities of refuge in Israel, places where a person who had killed someone without intention could take refuge and have protection against the victim's family revenge. These cities should be strategically located so that they could easily be achieved by anyone looking for protection. Following are five verses related to the theme of the selected chapters of other books of the Bible:
Deuteronomy 4:41-42: "Then Moses separated three cities east of the Jordan River, where he could escape those who killed someone without intention. Whoever killed someone without intention and fled to one of these cities would live." This verse talks about choosing the cities of refuge for Moses before his death, as a measure of justice and protection for those who killed unintentionally.
Numbers 35:6: "The six cities you give will be cities of refuge, where you can escape those who kill someone without intention." This verse talks about the number of cities of refuge that should be established in Israel and the importance of having them available throughout the territory.
Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and our fortress, aid always present in adversity." This verse talks about the protection and refuge God offers in difficult times and can be applied to the cities of refuge in Israel as a symbol of divine protection.
Proverbs 18:10: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to her and are safe." This verse also talks about the protection and security offered by the name of God and can be applied to the institution of the cities of refuge in Israel.
Isaiah 25:4: "For you have a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their affliction, a shelter against the storm and a shelter against the heat." This verse talks about God as a refuge for those who suffer and can be applied to the institution of the cities of refuge in Israel as a reflection of God's compassion for those who need protection.
Luvut: