Study Desk

In accordance with the command of Yahweh they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it.

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.

And he shall live in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return and come to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.'"

These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the sojourner who sojourns among them, that whoever strikes down any person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.

And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "Yahweh commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasture lands for our cattle."

Then the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of the Simeonites and from the tribe of Benjamin.

and they were for the sons of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, of the sons of Levi, for the lot was theirs first.

Thus to the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands, Libnah also with its pasture lands,

And they gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pasture lands,

All the cities with their pasture lands for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath were ten.

Now to the sons of Gershon, one of the families of the Levites, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands, and Be-eshterah with its pasture lands; two cities.

From the tribe of Naphtali, they gave Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands and Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands and Kartan with its pasture lands; three cities.

From the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

and with him ten leaders, one leader for each father's household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father's household among the thousands of Israel.

Is the iniquity of Peor too small a thing for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there was a plague on the congregation of Yahweh?

If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of Yahweh, where the tabernacle of Yahweh dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of Yahweh our God.

If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from following Yahweh, or if to perform a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may Yahweh Himself require it.

But truly we have done this out of concern, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our sons, "What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel?

"Therefore we said, ‘Let us build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;

Therefore we said, ‘It will also be that if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, "See the copy of the altar of Yahweh which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you."'