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Saturday, September 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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New Living Translation

Joshua 20:3

Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Avenger of Blood;   Communion;   Homicide;   Refuge;   Scofield Reference Index - Redemption;   Thompson Chain Reference - Avenger;   Slayer, the;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities of Refuge;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - City of refuge;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Land (of Israel);   Motives;   Murder;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Blood;   Cities of Refuge;   Court Systems;   Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Refuge, Cities of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Refuge;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Assassination;   Cruel;   Goel;   Homicide;   Ignorance;   Joshua (2);   Joshua, Book of;   Refuge, Cities of;   Relationships, Family;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Blood-revenge;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Hebrew Names Version
that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly [and] unawares may flee there: and they shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
King James Version
That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Lexham English Bible
Anyone who kills a person by accident or unintentionally may flee there; they will be for yourselves a refuge from the avenger of blood.
English Standard Version
that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.
New Century Version
If a person kills someone accidentally and without meaning to kill him, that person may go to a city of safety to hide. There the killer will be safe from the relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer.
New English Translation
Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood.
Amplified Bible
so that the person (manslayer) who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall be your refuge from the blood avenger.
New American Standard Bible
so that one who commits manslaughter by killing a person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Geneva Bible (1587)
That the slaier that killeth any person by ignorance, and vnwittingly, may flee thither, and they shall be your refuge from the auenger of blood.
Legacy Standard Bible
that the manslayer who strikes down any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become for you as a refuge from the avenger of blood.
Contemporary English Version
If a person accidentally kills someone and the victim's relatives say it was murder, they might try to take revenge. Anyone accused of murder can run to one of the Safe Towns and be safe from the victim's relatives. The one needing protection will stand at the entrance to the town gate and explain to the town leaders what happened. Then the leaders will bring that person in and provide a place to live in their town.
Complete Jewish Bible
so that anyone who kills someone by mistake and unknowingly may escape there; they will serve as refuges for you from the next-of-kin avenger.
Darby Translation
that the slayer who unwittingly without intent smiteth any one mortally may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Easy-to-Read Version
Anyone who kills someone accidentally can go to a city of safety to hide from the relatives who want to kill him.
George Lamsa Translation
That the slayer who kills any person suddenly and unwittingly may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Good News Translation
If any of you accidentally kills someone, you can go there and escape the one who is looking for revenge.
Literal Translation
that the manslayer who in innocence strikes anyone mortally, without knowing, may flee there. And they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that a deedsleyer which sleyeth a soule vnawarres and vnwittingly, maye flye thither, yt they maye be fre amoge you from the avenger of bloude.
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
So that any man who in error and without design has taken the life of another, may go in flight to them: and they will be safe places for you from him who has the right of punishment for blood.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That the slear that kylleth any person vnwares and vnwyttyngly, may flee thyther: And those cities shall be your refuge from the auenger of blood.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that the manslayer that killeth any person through error and unawares may flee thither; and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
King James Version (1611)
That the slayer that killeth any person vnawares and vnwittingly, may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the auenger of blood.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Even a refuge to the slayer who has smitten a man unintentionally; and the cities shall be to you a refuge, and the slayer shall not be put to death by the avenger of blood, until he have stood before the congregation for judgement.
English Revised Version
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.
Berean Standard Bible
so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that whoeuer sleeth vnwytyngli a man, fle to tho citees;
Young's Literal Translation
for the fleeing thither of a man-slayer smiting life inadvertently, without knowledge; and they have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer of blood.
Update Bible Version
that the manslayer that kills any person unwittingly [and] unawares may flee there: and they shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
Webster's Bible Translation
That the slayer that killeth [any] person unawares [and] ignorantly, may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
World English Bible
that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly [and] unawares may flee there: and they shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
New King James Version
that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
New Life Bible
So the man who kills any person without meaning to or planning to may run to one of these cities. They will be places where you can go to be safe from the one who wants to punish you for the killing.
New Revised Standard
so that anyone who kills a person without intent or by mistake may flee there; they shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
that the manslayer who slayeth a person by mistake, unwittingly, may flee thither, - so shall they be unto you for refuge from the blood-redeemer,
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Revised Standard Version
that the manslayer who kills any person without intent or unwittingly may flee there; they shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said to Joshua, 2 "Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses. 3 Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed. 4 "Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the death will appear before the elders at the city gate and present his case. They must allow him to enter the city and give him a place to live among them. 5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility. 6 But the slayer must stay in that city and be tried by the local assembly, which will render a judgment. And he must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, he is free to return to his own home in the town from which he fled."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:12 - from the avenger Numbers 35:19 - General Numbers 35:22 - General 2 Samuel 14:11 - the revengers Hebrews 6:18 - who

Cross-References

Genesis 20:1
Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner,
Genesis 20:7
Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don't return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die."
Genesis 20:12
And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her.
Genesis 20:13
When God called me to leave my father's home and to travel from place to place, I told her, ‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your brother.'"
Genesis 20:14
Then Abimelech took some of his sheep and goats, cattle, and male and female servants, and he presented them to Abraham. He also returned his wife, Sarah, to him.
Genesis 20:15
Then Abimelech said, "Look over my land and choose any place where you would like to live."
Genesis 28:12
As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
Genesis 31:24
But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, "I'm warning you—leave Jacob alone!"
Genesis 37:5
One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.
Genesis 37:9
Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. "Listen, I have had another dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That the slayer that killeth [any] person unawares, [and] unwittingly, may flee thither,.... Who through mere accident, and without design, killed a person, friend or foe, one of his own kindred, or a stranger, without any malice against him, or intention to take away his life:

and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood; from any of the relations of the deceased, who might be stirred up to avenge the blood of his kinsman on the slayer; see Numbers 35:12.


 
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