Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 24th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Joshua 20:5

And yf the auenger of bloude folowe vpon him, they shall not delyuer the deedslayer in to his handes, for so moch as he hath slayne his neghboure vnawarres, and was not his enemye afore:

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Avenger of Blood;   Communion;   Homicide;   Refuge;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - City of refuge;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Land (of Israel);   Motives;   Murder;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Judges;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Blood;   Cities of Refuge;   Court Systems;   Joshua, the Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Refuge, Cities of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Avenger;   Refuge;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Assassination;   Cruel;   Goel;   Homicide;   Ignorance;   Joshua (2);   Joshua, Book of;   Refuge, Cities of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Blood-revenge;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.
Hebrew Names Version
If the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unawares, and didn't hate him before.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, they will not hand over the killer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, and he did not hate him previously.
English Standard Version
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.
New Century Version
But if the one who is chasing him follows him to that city, the leaders of the city must not hand over the killer. It was an accident. He did not hate him beforehand or kill him on purpose.
New English Translation
When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation.
Amplified Bible
'If the blood avenger pursues him, they shall not hand the offender (manslayer) over to him, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.
New American Standard Bible
'Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they are not to hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, since he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him previously.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And if the auenger of blood pursue after him, they shall not deliuer the slaier into his hand because hee smote his neighbour ignorantly, neither hated he him before time:
Legacy Standard Bible
Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not surrender the manslayer into his hand because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.
Contemporary English Version
One of the victim's relatives might come to the town, looking for revenge. But the town leaders must not simply hand over the person accused of murder. After all, the accused and the victim had been neighbors, not enemies.
Complete Jewish Bible
If the next-of-kin avenger pursues him, they are not to hand over the killer to him; because he struck his fellow community member unknowingly and had not hated him previously.
Darby Translation
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; for he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not previously.
Easy-to-Read Version
If someone chases you and follows you to that city, the leaders of the city must not give you up. They must protect you because you came to them for safety after killing someone by accident—you were not angry and did not plan to kill the person. It was something that just happened.
George Lamsa Translation
And when the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand; because he slew his neighbor unwittingly, and did not hate him beforehand.
Good News Translation
If the one looking for revenge follows you there, the people of the city must not hand you over to that one. They must protect you because you killed the person accidentally and not out of anger.
Literal Translation
And if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, for he has struck his neighbor without knowing, and did not hate him yesterday and the day before.
American Standard Version
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unawares, and hated him not beforetime.
Bible in Basic English
And if the one who has the right of punishment comes after him, they are not to give the taker of life up to him; because he was the cause of his neighbour's death without designing it and not in hate.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if the auenger of blood folow after him, they shall not deliuer the slear into his hand: because he smote his friend ignorauntly, and hated him not before tyme.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unawares, and hated him not beforetime.
King James Version (1611)
And if the auenger of blood pursue after him, then they shal not deliuer the slayer vp into his hand: because hee smote his neighbour vnwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And beyond Jordan he appointed Bosor in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Ruben, and Aremoth in Galaad out of the tribe of Gad, and Gaulon in the country of Basan out of the tribe of Manasse.
English Revised Version
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unawares, and hated him not beforetime.
Berean Standard Bible
Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not deliver the manslayer into his hands, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the vengere of blood pursueth hym, thei schulen not bitake hym in to the hondis of the vengere; for vnwityngli he killide his neiybore, and is not preued his enemy bifor the secounde dai ethir the thridde dai.
Young's Literal Translation
`And when the redeemer of blood doth pursue after him, then they do not shut up the man-slayer into his hand, for without knowledge he hath smitten his neighbour, and is not hating him hitherto;
Update Bible Version
And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him formerly.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if the avenger of blood shall pursue him, then they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor ignorantly, and had not hated him before.
World English Bible
If the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unawares, and didn't hate him before.
New King James Version
Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand.
New Living Translation
If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility.
New Life Bible
If the one who wants to punish him comes after him, they will not give him the one who killed the person, because he killed his neighbor without planning to, and did not hate him in the past.
New Revised Standard
And if the avenger of blood is in pursuit, they shall not give up the slayer, because the neighbor was killed by mistake, there having been no enmity between them before.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when the blood-redeemer pursueth after him, then shall they not deliver up the manslayer, into his hand, - because, unwittingly, it was that he slew his neighbour, and had not been, cherishing hatred, towards him, aforetime;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the avenger of blood shall pursue him, they shall not deliver him into his hands, because he slew his neighbour unawares, and is not proved to have been his enemy two or three days before,
Revised Standard Version
And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the slayer into his hand; because he killed his neighbor unwittingly, having had no enmity against him in times past.
THE MESSAGE
"If the avenger of blood chases after him, they must not give him up—he didn't intend to kill the person; there was no history of ill-feeling. He may stay in that city until he has stood trial before the congregation and until the death of the current high priest. Then he may go back to his own home in his hometown from which he fled."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.

Contextual Overview

1 And the LORDE spake vnto Iosua, and sayde: 2 Speake to the children of Israel: Geue amonge you fre cities, wherof I spake vnto you by Moses, 3 that a deedsleyer which sleyeth a soule vnawarres and vnwittingly, maye flye thither, yt they maye be fre amoge you from the avenger of bloude. 4 And he that flyeth to one of those cities, shal stonde without before the porte of the cite, and shewe his cause before the Elders of the cite, then shall they take him to them in to the cite, and geue him place to dwell with them. 5 And yf the auenger of bloude folowe vpon him, they shall not delyuer the deedslayer in to his handes, for so moch as he hath slayne his neghboure vnawarres, and was not his enemye afore: 6 but he shall dwell in ye cite, tyll he stonde before the congregacion in iudgment, vntyll the hye prest dye, which shall be at that tyme. Then shall the deedsleyer returne, and go vnto his awne cite, and vnto his house to the cite, from whence he was fled.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 35:12, Numbers 35:25

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:19 - General Numbers 35:22 - General Deuteronomy 19:6 - the avenger Romans 13:4 - revenger

Cross-References

Joshua 22:22
The mightie God ye LORDE, the mightie God the LORDE knoweth, and Israel knoweth also, yf this be a trangressynge or trespacynge agaynst the LORDE, then let it not helpe vs this daye:
1 Kings 9:4
And yf thou walke before me (as thy father Dauid walked) with a perfecte and a true hert, so that thou do all that I haue commaunded the, and kepe myne ordinaunces and lawes,
2 Kings 20:3
Remembre (O LORDE) that I haue walked faithfully before the, & with a perfecte hert, and haue done yt which is good in thy syghte. And Ezechias wepte sore.
1 Chronicles 29:17
I knowe my God, that thou tryest the hert, and that vnfaynednes is acceptable vnto the: therfore haue I geue all this with an vnfayned hert, eue with a good wyll, and now haue I had ioye to se thy people (which here are present) offre with a fre wyll vnto the.
Job 33:9
I am clene without eny fawte, I am innocent, & there is no wickednesse in me.
Psalms 7:8
The LORDE is iudge ouer the people: Auenge me then (o LORDE) acordinge to my rightuousnes & innocency.
Psalms 24:4
Eue he yt hath innocet hodes & a clene herte: which lifteth not vp his mynde vnto vanite, & sweareth not to disceaue.
Psalms 25:21
Let innocency and rightuous dealinge wayte vpon me, for my hope is in the.
Psalms 26:6
I wa?she my hondes with innocency O LORDE, and so go I to thine aulter.
Psalms 73:13
Shulde I then clense my hert in vayne (thought I) & wash my hondes in innocency?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if the avenger of blood pursue after him,.... To the city of refuge, whither he is fled, and demand him:

then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hands; to be slain by him, but shall protect him:

because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime; :-,

:-, and

:-.


 
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