13 (A)But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then (B)I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

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13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place(A) I will designate.

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“The cities that you give to the Levites shall be (A)the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.

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Cities of Refuge(A)

“Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee.(B) In addition, give them forty-two other towns.

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11 (A)then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13 And the cities that you give shall be your (B)six cities of refuge. 14 (C)You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.

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11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone(A) accidentally(B) may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger,(C) so that anyone accused of murder(D) may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.(E) 13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.(F) 14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.

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Cities of Refuge

41 Then Moses (A)set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan, 42 that (B)the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life: 43 (C)Bezer in the wilderness on the (D)tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

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Cities of Refuge(A)

41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42 to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionally(B) killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life. 43 The cities were these: Bezer in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth(C) in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

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(A)you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall measure the distances[a] and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

“This is the provision for (B)the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, lest (C)the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. (D)And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, (E)as he has sworn to your fathers, and (F)gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—(G)then you shall add three other cities to these three,

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:3 Hebrew road

then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood(A) might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

If the Lord your God enlarges your territory,(B) as he promised(C) on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him(D)—then you are to set aside three more cities.

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