Josua 20

1 Und der Herr redete also mit Josue:

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 "Sprich zu den Söhnen Israels: Bestimmt euch die Zufluchtsstädte, von denen ich durch Moses zu euch gesagt habe,

“Tell the Israeli people that they should choose some cities to which people [can run] in order to be safe/protected, like I told Moses that they should do.

3 daß ein Totschläger, der unvorsätzlich, unversehens einen Menschen totschlug, dorthin fliehe! Sie seien euch Zuflucht vor dem Bluträcher!

If someone kills another person accidentally, not intending to kill that person, the one who killed that person may run/escape to one of these cities and be safe/protected from someone trying to get revenge for that person’s death [MTY].

4 Er (der Totschläger) fliehe in eine dieser Städte, trete an des Stadttores Eingang und berichte seine Sache den Ältesten der Stadt! Dann sollen sie ihn zu sich in die Stadt nehmen und ihm einen Platz anweisen, und er bleibe bei ihnen!

When the one who killed someone arrives at the gate of one of those cities, he must stop there and tell the leaders of the city what happened. [If they believe him], they must allow him to enter the city, and they must give him a place to live among them.

5 Verfolgt ihn der Bluträcher, so dürfen sie ihm den Totschläger nicht ausliefern, weil er seinen Nächsten unwissentlich getötet und ihn nicht von früher her gehaßt hat.

If some relative of the one who was killed comes to that city to get revenge, the leaders of that city must not allow the relative to take the killer, because what happened was accidental. He did not hate that person and as a result deliberately kill him.

6 Er bleibe in dieser Stadt, bis er vor der Gemeinde zum Gerichte gestanden, bis zum Tode des jeweiligen Hohenpriesters! Dann soll der Totschläger heimkehren; er gehe in seine Stadt und sein Haus, in die Stadt, aus der er geflohen ist.'"

But the person who killed someone must stay in that city until the city judges put him on trial. [Only if the judges decide that the person who has run/escaped to their city did not deliberately kill the other person will they allow him to stay in that city], and he must stay there until the Supreme Priest dies. Then he may safely go back to his own town, [because the death of the Supreme Priest will be considered to atone/pay for the death of the person who was killed].”

7 Da bestimmten sie Kedes in Galiläa auf dem Gebirge Naphtali, auf dem Gebirge Ephraim Sichern und Kirjat Arba, das ist Hebron auf dem Gebirge Juda.

So the Israelis chose these cities to be cities to which people could run to be safe/protected: Kedesh in the Galilee district in the hilly area where the tribe of Naphtali lived; Shechem in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived; Kiriath-Arba (which is [now named] Hebron) in the hilly area where the tribe of Judah lived;

8 Jenseits des Jordan bei Jericho im Osten bestellten sie Beser in der Steppe, auf der Hochebene vom Stamme Ruben, Ramot in Gilead vom Stamme Gad und Golan in Basan vom Stamme Manasse.

Bezer, on the east side of the Jordan [River] near Jericho, in the flat land in the desert where the tribe of Reuben lived; Ramoth in the Gilead [region] in the land where the tribe of Gad lived; and Golan in the Bashan region where the tribe of Manasseh lived.

9 Dies waren die Freistädte für alle Israeliten und die Fremdlinge unter ihnen, daß dorthin alle fliehen sollten, die einen Menschen unvorsätzlich töteten, damit sie nicht durch einen Bluträcher stürben, bevor sie vor der Gemeinde gestanden hätten.

Any Israeli or any foreigner who lived among us, anyone who killed someone (accidentally/without planning to do it), was allowed to run to one of those cities, and be safe/protected from some relative of the person who died coming there and killing him to get revenge. He could stay in that city until there was a trial there [to decide whether he was telling the truth or not when he said that he did not plan to kill that person].