1 The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: 3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. 6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
7 ¶ And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. 8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
20–BOB
Panoh shaharlar
1 Egamiz bir kuni Yoshuaga shunday deb aytdi:
2 — Isroil xalqiga shu gaplarni yetkazgin: “Muso orqali sizlarga buyurganimday , panoh shaharlarni tayinlanglar. 3 Mabodo, birortasi bexosdan odam oʻldirib qoʻysa, qochib oʻsha shaharlardan biriga borsin. Qotil oʻsha shaharlarning birida panoh topib, marhumning qasos olmoqchi boʻlgan qarindoshlaridan omon qoladi. 4 Shaharga yetib borgandan keyin, qotil shahar darvozasi oldida oʻtirgan shahar oqsoqollariga oʻz vaziyatini tushuntirsin. Shunda uni shaharga olib kirib, uy–joy berishadi. 5 Qasoskor qotilning orqasidan quvib kelsa, qotil qasoskorga berilmasin. Axir, qotil odamni bexosdan oʻldirib qoʻygan, ularning orasida hech qanday adovat yoʻq edi. 6 Jamoa yigʻilib, qotilni hukm qilmaguncha, oʻsha odam panoh shaharda qolishi lozim. Qotil aybsiz deb topilgandan keyin esa oʻsha paytda xizmat qilayotgan oliy ruhoniyning oʻlimiga qadar, panoh shaharda yashashi kerak. Oliy ruhoniyning oʻlimidan keyingina u oʻzi qochib kelgan joyga qaytib borishi mumkin.”
7 Iordan daryosining gʻarb tomonida Isroil xalqi panoh shaharlar qilib quyidagi shaharlarni tayinladi: Naftali qabilasiga tegishli qirlarda joylashgan Jaliladagi Kedesh shahri, Efrayim qabilasiga tegishli qirlardagi Shakam shahri, Yahudo qabilasiga tegishli qirlardagi Xirat–Arba, yaʼni Xevron shahri. 8 Iordan daryosining sharqida, Yerixo shahrining qarshi tomonida esa Isroil xalqi quyidagi shaharlarni panoh shaharlar qilib ajratdi: yassi tepalik sahrosida joylashgan, Ruben qabilasiga tegishli boʻlgan Bazer shahri, Gad qabilasiga tegishli Giladdagi Ramoʻt shahri, Manashe qabilasiga tegishli Bashandagi Goʻlon shahri. 9 Mana shu shaharlar Isroil xalqi va ularning orasida yashayotgan begonalar uchun ajratildi. Agar birortasi bexosdan odam oʻldirib qoʻysa, oʻsha panoh shaharlardan biriga qochib boradi. Shunday qilib, jamoa adolatli hukm chiqarmaguncha, odam oʻldirgan kishi panoh shaharda xavf–xatarsiz boʻlib, uni quvib kelgan qasoskor qoʻlida halok boʻlmaydi.
