Joshua 20:5 - Easy To Read Version

⁵ But the man who is chasing that person might follow him to that city. If this happens, the leaders of the city must not give him up. They must protect the person who came to them for safety because he killed a person by accident. He was not angry and did not plan to kill the person. It was something that just happened.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

⁵ If the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, having had no hatred for him previously.

American Standard Version (1901)

⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unawares, and hated him not beforetime.

Common English Bible

⁵ If a member of the victim’s family follows, seeking revenge, they won’t hand the killer over. This is because the killer struck down the neighbor by accident and hadn’t been an enemy in the past.

Catholic Public Domain Version

⁵ And if the avenger of blood will have pursued him, they shall not deliver him into his hands. For he struck down his neighbor unknowingly, one who was not proven to have been his enemy two or three days before.

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

⁵ And when the avenger of blood shall pursue him, they shall not deliver him into his hands, because he slew his neighbour unawares, and is not proved to have been his enemy two or three days before.

Joshua 20:5 Cross References

Leviticus 4:2

“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:

Numbers 35:12

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.

Numbers 35:25

If the community decides to protect the killer from the dead man’s family, then the community must take him back to his city of safety. And the killer must stay there until the official high priest [389] dies.