Exodus 21:13 Cross References

Exodus 21:13

13: But if it is an accident and God allows it to happen, I will appoint a place where the slayer can run for safety.

"Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses.
Anyone who kills another person unintentionally can run to one of these cities and be protected from the relatives of the one who was killed, for the relatives may seek to avenge the killing.
"Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the accidental death will appear before the leaders at the city gate and explain what happened. They must allow the accused to enter the city and live there among them.
If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the accused to them, for the death was accidental.
But the person who caused the death must stay in that city and be tried by the community and found innocent. Then the one declared innocent because the death was accidental must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, the one found innocent is free to return home."

Then Moses set apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River,
where anyone who had accidentally killed someone without having any previous hostility could flee for safety.
These were the cities: Bezer on the wilderness plateau for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad; Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh.

"Now's your opportunity!" David's men whispered to him. "Today is the day the LORD was talking about when he said, `I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish.'" Then David crept forward and cut off a piece of Saul's robe.

This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn't true. For the LORD placed you at my mercy back there in the cave, and some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, `I will never harm him--he is the LORD's anointed one.'

Yes, you have been wonderfully kind to me today, for when the LORD put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn't do it.

"Say this to the people of Israel: `When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
designate cities of refuge for people to flee to if they have killed someone accidentally.
These cities will be places of protection from a dead person's relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be killed before being tried by the community.
Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves,
three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan.

"The LORD your God will soon destroy the nations whose land he is giving you, and you will displace them and settle in their towns and homes.
Then you must set apart three cities of refuge in the land the LORD your God is giving you to occupy.
Divide the land the LORD your God is giving you into three districts, with one of these cities in each district. Keep the roads to these cities in good repair so that anyone who has killed someone can flee there for safety.
"If someone accidentally kills a neighbor without harboring any previous hatred, the slayer may flee to any of these cities and be safe.
For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer could flee to one of the cities of refuge and be safe.

But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of his plan to conquer the world.

"No!" the king said. "What am I going to do with you sons of Zeruiah! If the LORD has told him to curse me, who am I to stop him?"

The godly people have all disappeared; not one fair-minded person is left on the earth. They are all murderers, even setting traps for their own brothers.

Home