1 GLT And Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Joshua,
2 GLT “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying,‘Give for yourselves the cities of refuge, which I spoke about to you by the hand of Moses, BSB BSB: “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,
3 GLT so that the one who kills, who strikes down a person by mistake without knowledge, may flee to there. And they will be for you as a refuge from the avenger of blood. BSB BSB: so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 GLT And he shall flee into one from these cities and stand at the opening of the gate of the city and speak his words in the ears of the elders of that city. And they shall gather him into the city to themselves and give to him a place and he shall dwell with them. BSB BSB: When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.
5 GLT And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, then they shall not deliver the one who kills into his hand. For without knowledge he struck down his neighbor and he was not hating him from yesterday and three days ago. BSB BSB: Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
6 GLT And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the face of the congregation for judgment, until the death of he who is the great priest in those days. Then the one who kills may return and enter into his city and into his house, into the city that he fled from.’” BSB BSB: He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
7 GLT And they set apart Kedesh in the Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and Kiriath Arba(it is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. BSB BSB: 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.
8 GLT And from the other side of the Jordan, to Jericho toward the sunrise, they gave Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau from the tribe of Reuben and Ramoth in the Gilead from the tribe of Gad and Golan in the Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. BSB BSB: And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 GLT These were the cities of appointment for all the sons of Israel and for the sojourner who sojourned in the midst of them, so that all who struck down a person by mistake could flee to there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the face of the assembly. BSB BSB: These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.