13 (A)But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then (B)I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

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13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place(A) I will designate.

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“Say to the people of Israel, (A)‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 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. He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand (B)at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. And he shall remain in that city (C)until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’”

So they set apart (D)Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and (E)Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and (F)Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) (G)in the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed (H)Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and (I)Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and (J)Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and (K)for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

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“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally(A) may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.(B) When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate(C) and state their case before the elders(D) of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly(E) 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.”

So they set apart Kedesh(F) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem(G) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba(H) (that is, Hebron(I)) in the hill country of Judah.(J) East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer(K) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead(L) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan(M) in the tribe of Manasseh. Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally(N) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.(O)

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18 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.

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18 You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered(A) me into your hands, but you did not kill me.

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10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. (A)And some told me to kill you, but I spared you.[a] I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, (B)for he is the Lord's anointed.’

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 24:10 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew it [my eye] spared you

10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared(A) you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’

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And the men of David said to him, (A)“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

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The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke(A) of when he said[a] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’”(B) Then David crept up unnoticed and cut(C) off a corner of Saul’s robe.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 24:4 Or “Today the Lord is saying

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge

19 “When (A)the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, (B)you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall measure the distances[a] and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

“This is the provision for (C)the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, lest (D)the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. (E)And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, (F)as he has sworn to your fathers, and (G)gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—(H)then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him (I)and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 (J)Your eye shall not pity him, (K)but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood[b] from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 19:3 Hebrew road
  2. Deuteronomy 19:13 Or the blood of the innocent

Cities of Refuge(A)

19 When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,(B) then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood(C) might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

If the Lord your God enlarges your territory,(D) as he promised(E) on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him(F)—then you are to set aside three more cities. 10 Do this so that innocent blood(G) will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.(H)

11 But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor,(I) and then flees to one of these cities, 12 the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. 13 Show no pity.(J) You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood,(K) so that it may go well with you.

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Cities of Refuge

41 Then Moses (A)set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan, 42 that (B)the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life: 43 (C)Bezer in the wilderness on the (D)tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

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Cities of Refuge(A)

41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42 to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionally(B) killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life. 43 The cities were these: Bezer in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth(C) in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

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10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, (A)When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 (B)then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13 And the cities that you give shall be your (C)six cities of refuge. 14 (D)You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and (E)for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.

16 (F)“But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 17 And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 19 (G)The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, (H)lying in wait, so that he died, 21 or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. (I)The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 “But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him (J)without lying in wait 23 or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, 24 then (K)the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and (L)the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. 25 And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it (M)until the death of the high priest (N)who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, 27 and (O)the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. 28 For he must remain in his city of refuge (P)until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. 29 And these things shall be for (Q)a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

30 “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the (R)evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31 Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. 32 And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. 33 You shall not (S)pollute the land in which you live, for blood (T)pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except (U)by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 (V)You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, (W)for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

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10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,(A) 11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone(B) accidentally(C) may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger,(D) so that anyone accused of murder(E) may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.(F) 13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.(G) 14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. 15 These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.

16 “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death.(H) 17 Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 18 Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood(I) shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.(J) 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally(K) so that they die 21 or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;(L) that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood(M) shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

22 “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally(N) 23 or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, 24 the assembly(O) must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. 25 The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest,(P) who was anointed(Q) with the holy oil.(R)

26 “‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. 28 The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.

29 “‘This is to have the force of law(S) for you throughout the generations to come,(T) wherever you live.(U)

30 “‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.(V)

31 “‘Do not accept a ransom(W) for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.

32 “‘Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their own land before the death of the high priest.

33 “‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land,(X) and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land(Y) where you live and where I dwell,(Z) for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’”

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(A)The godly has perished from the earth,
    and (B)there is no one upright among mankind;
(C)they all lie in wait for blood,
    and (D)each hunts the other with a net.

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The faithful have been swept from the land;(A)
    not one(B) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait(C) to shed blood;(D)
    they hunt each other(E) with nets.(F)

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But he (A)does not so intend,
    and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
    and to cut off nations not a few;

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But this is not what he intends,(A)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.

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10 But the king said, (A)“What have I to do with you, (B)you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”

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10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?(A) If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”(B)

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