The woman said, “Please, use the name of the Lord your God and swear (promise) that you will stop those people. They want to punish my son for murdering his brother. Swear that you won’t let them destroy my son.”
Joshua 20:3 - Easy To Read Version If any person kills another person, but it is an accident and he did not mean to kill that person, then he can go to a city of safety to hide from the relatives who want to kill him. More versionsKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 that the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition That the slayer who kills anyone accidentally and unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. [Num. 35:10ff.] American Standard Version (1901) that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly and unawares may flee thither: and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood. Common English Bible Anyone who kills by striking down someone unintentionally or by mistake may flee there. These places will be a refuge for you from any member of the victim’s family seeking revenge. Catholic Public Domain Version so that anyone who will have struck down a life unintentionally may flee to them. And so, he may be able to escape from the wrath of a close relative, who is an avenger of blood. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version That whosoever shall kill a person unawares may flee to them: and may escape the wrath of the kinsman, who is the avenger of blood. |
The woman said, “Please, use the name of the Lord your God and swear (promise) that you will stop those people. They want to punish my son for murdering his brother. Swear that you won’t let them destroy my son.”
“Tell the people of Israel: If any person sins by accident and does any of the things the Lord said must not be done, then that person must do these things:
That person will be safe from anyone from the dead man’s family that wants to get even. That person will be safe until he is judged in court.
A member of the dead man’s family [386] can chase that murderer and kill him.
“But a person might accidentally kill someone. That person didn’t hate the person he killed—it was only an accident. Or a person might throw something and accidentally kill someone—he didn’t plan to kill anyone.
Those two things cannot change. God cannot lie when he says something and he cannot lie when he makes a vow. So those things give great comfort to us who came to God for safety. Those two things give us comfort and strength to continue in the hope that God gives us.
“I used Moses to give you a command. Moses told you to choose cities to be special cities of safety.
“This is what that person must do. When he runs away and goes to one of those cities, he must stop at the entrance of the city. He must stand at the gate and tell the leaders of the people what happened. Then the leaders can allow him to enter the city. They will give him a place to live among them.