Title (Sat) Human Rights Protection Training Ground, Refuge
Contents
1 When the LORD your God has destroyed these nations, and the LORD your God has given you the land, when you receive it and live in their cities and houses,
2 I will set aside three cities for you out of the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
3 Divide the whole land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance into three districts, and make a way for all the murderers to flee to the city.
4 These are the cases in which a murderer deserves to escape and live there: if anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally and without any original grudge;
5 It is as if a man with his neighbor goes into the woods to cut down, and with an ax in his hand he cuts down the tree, the ax falls out of the handle and strikes his neighbor to death. Such a person may escape to one of the towns and save his life. it is
6 The man is not worthy to kill him because he does not have any grudges against him. But I fear that those who avenge his blood are burning with revenge and pursue the murderer, but if he has a long way to go, I will overtake him and kill him.
7 Therefore I command you to set aside three cities for you.
8 When the LORD your God will enlarge your borders and give you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors, just as the LORD your God swore to them.
9 And when ye obey and do all these commands I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and always walk in his ways, add to these three cities three more.
10 Do not shed innocent blood in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that his blood will not return to you.
11 But if a man hates his neighbor and falls down waiting for him, and gets up and wounds him to death, and flees to this one city,
12 And the elders of that town will send and take him there, and hand him over to the avenger to kill him.
13 Do not let your eyes have pity on him, and take away the sin of shedding innocent blood from Israel, and you will be blessed.