The Cities of Refuge

Joshua 20

1 The LORD also spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: a 'Appoint 1 for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 'that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 'And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and 2 declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5 b 'Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand. 6 'And he shall dwell in that city c until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.' "

7 So they appointed d Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, e Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and f Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in g the mountains of Judah. 8 And on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned h Bezer in the wilderness on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, i Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and j Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 k These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who 3 dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood l until he stood before the congregation.

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 21:13
    However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
    Numbers 35:6 - 34
    Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities.
    Deuteronomy 19:2
    You shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
    Deuteronomy 19:9
    And if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three.
  2. Cross References
    Numbers 35:12
    They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.
  3. Cross References
    Numbers 35:12
    They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.
    Numbers 35:24
    Then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.
    Numbers 35:25
    So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
  4. Cross References
    Joshua 21:32
    And from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Hammoth Dor with its common-land, and Kartan with its common-land: three cities.
    1 Chronicles 6:76
    And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common-lands, Hammon with its common-lands, and Kirjathaim with its common-lands.
  5. Cross References
    Joshua 21:21
    For they gave them Shechem with its common-land in the mountains of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the slayer), Gezer with its common-land.
    2 Chronicles 10:1
    And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
  6. Cross References
    Joshua 14:15
    And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba ( Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war.
    Joshua 21:11
    And they gave them Kirjath Arba ( Arba was the father of Anak), which is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah, with the common-land surrounding it.
    Joshua 21:13
    Thus to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Libnah with its common-land.
  7. Cross References
    Luke 1:39
    Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah.
  8. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:43
    Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
    Joshua 21:36
    And from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its common-land, Jahaz with its common-land.
    1 Chronicles 6:78
    And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common-lands, Jahzah with its common-lands.
  9. Cross References
    Joshua 21:38
    And from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Mahanaim with its common-land.
    1 Kings 22:3
    And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?
  10. Cross References
    Joshua 21:27
    Also to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), and Be Eshterah with its common-land: two cities.
  11. Cross References
    Numbers 35:15
    These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.
  12. Cross References
    Joshua 20:6
    'And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.'"
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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