Joshua 20
The full text of Joshua 20 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 Then the LORD said to Joshua:
2 "Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,
3 so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.
4 When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them.
5 If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the death was caused unintentionally and without malice aforethought.
6 They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled."
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 East of the Jordan, beyond Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
Translation notes (5)
- Joshua 20:2a The cities of refuge carry out the law given through Moses (Numbers 35:9-34; Deuteronomy 4:41-43; 19:1-13). This provision protects an unintentional killer from blood vengeance until a fair hearing.
- Joshua 20:3a The 'avenger of blood' (Hebrew: *goel haddam*) was the slain person's nearest kinsman, who, in the customary justice of the time, was responsible to avenge the death. The refuge cities limit that custom by distinguishing accidental killing from murder and requiring a trial (verses 6, 9).
- Joshua 20:4a Most of verses 4-6 are absent from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, which has a much shorter form of this chapter. The standard Hebrew text is followed here; the difference is noted without resolving which text is older.
- Joshua 20:5a This verse is part of the longer form found in the standard Hebrew text, which is not found in the Septuagint; see the note at verse 4.
- Joshua 20:6a The protection lasts until a fair public trial and until the death of the serving high priest, after which the unintentional killer may return home. This provision is also part of the longer form found in the standard Hebrew text (see the note at verse 4).
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is a new translation of the Bible prepared by Trinity Bible AI — rendered from the original Hebrew and faithful to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Finished in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation you can read today, and it is available only through Trinity Bible. All 66 books, including Joshua, are free to read on this site.
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