| Hebrews
6:17-18 17 So when God desired to show
more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of
his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable
things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge
might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
Numbers 35:9-34 9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the
people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of
Canaan, 11 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 six cities of refuge. 14 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 for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone
who kills any person without intent may flee there. 16 “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
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, 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. 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 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
the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and 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 until the death of the high priest 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 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 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 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 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 pollute the land in which you live, for
blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the
blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 You
shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell,
for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.” |
