Joshua 20

1 The LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,

耶和華曉諭約書亞說：

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,

「你吩咐以色列人說：你們要照着我藉摩西所曉諭你們的，為自己設立逃城，

3 that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.

使那無心而誤殺人的，可以逃到那裏。這些城可以作你們逃避報血仇人的地方。

4 He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them.

那殺人的要逃到這些城中的一座城，站在城門口，將他的事情說給城內的長老們聽。他們就把他收進城裏，給他地方，使他住在他們中間。

5 If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and did not hate him before.

若是報血仇的追了他來，長老不可將他交在報血仇的手裏；因為他是素無仇恨，無心殺了人的。

6 He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the man slayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.’”

他要住在那城裏，站在會眾面前聽審判，等到那時的大祭司死了，殺人的才可以回到本城本家，就是他所逃出來的那城。」

7 They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

於是，以色列人在拿弗他利山地分定加利利的基低斯；在以法蓮山地分定示劍；在猶大山地分定基列‧亞巴（基列‧亞巴就是希伯崙）；

8 Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

又在約旦河外耶利哥東，從呂便支派中，在曠野的平原，設立比悉；從迦得支派中設立基列的拉末；從瑪拿西支派中設立巴珊的哥蘭。

9 These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation.

這都是為以色列眾人和在他們中間寄居的外人所分定的城邑，使誤殺人的都可以逃到那裏，不死在報血仇人的手中，等他站在會眾面前聽審判。