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.
Mizi ye matizhilo
(Mbalo 35:9-34)1 Kwakati shule kwa ipapo Yahwe bakalebeleka na Joshuwa kuti 2 adwe bathu be Iziraela ati, “Tjishalulani mizi ye matizhilo yandakatuma Mushe kuti amubudze nge kwayo, 3 kuti ndizo nthu ungabulaya mmwe kusi nge mwaza kene abe asakazwimisila kumbulaya atizhileko kuti abakiligwe muna unoshaka kuzwibgwilizilila.
4 “Ha mbulayi etizhila ku mmwe we mizi iyeyi wakafanila kuswika ema ku nkoba we nzi ngono ipapo abe ebikila bakulu be nzi ndebo iye. Ngono ndizo kudwapo bangan'amutjila mu nzi wabo bakampa magalo kuti agale nabo. 5 Ngono wabulayigwa ha angantobela bakulu be lubazhe abazofanila kudusa mbulayi iwoyo ngoti azobulaya mmwe mwaza kene nge mazwimisilo mamwe koga. 6 Mbulayi wakafanila gala mu nzi we dizhilo kudzina ema mbeli kwe gubungano esumikilisiwa ne kuswikila mpirisiti nkulu we tjibaka itjetjo efa. Ngono ndizo kudwapo ungayendazwe ku nzi uwe kwaakabe atizha ko.”
7 Ndizo bakashalula nzi we Kedeshi umu ntuthu we Galili mu shango ye matombo ya Nafutali ne Shekemu mu shango ye matombo ya Ifureimi ne Kiriyatiaribha (inodang'wa Heburoni) mu shango ye matombo ya Juda. 8 Ngono seli kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani ku bhezhuba kwe Jerikho bakashalula nzi we Bhezera umu tjilambanyika tje tjibata tje ludzi gwa Rubheni ne Ramoti mu Giliyadi mu ludzi gwa Gadi ne mu Golani mu Bhashani mu ludzi gwa Manase. 9 Mizi iyeyi ndiyo yakabe yashaluligwa Baiziraela bose ne bazhi bose bakabe begala mu Baiziraela kuti mmwe ne mmwe wakabulaya mmwe kusi nge mwaza kene nge mazwimisilo awe ungatizhila ku ili kuti ndizo asibulawe ne mbgwilizili wabulayigwa kuswikilila mbulayi asekesiwa mbeli kwe gubungano.