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Numbers 35:12

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

These cities will be places of safety where someone who accidentally kills another person can escape from anyone seeking revenge. The person who caused the death won't be killed until they can have a fair trial before the community.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God is establishing safe places where people accused of accidental killing can find protection and receive a fair trial instead of facing immediate revenge.

📚 Historical Context

In ancient Israel, when someone was killed, family members had the right and duty to seek revenge on the killer, even if the death was accidental. God commanded the Israelites to set up six special cities of refuge throughout their land where people could flee for safety. These cities provided protection until a proper trial could determine whether the killing was intentional murder or an accident.

Explore Similar Verses

Numbers 35:25
The community must protect the person who accidentally killed someone from the victim's family member who wants revenge. They must bring him back safely to the city of refuge where he had fled for protection. He must stay there until the high priest who was anointed with holy oil dies.
Joshua 20:9
These were the cities set aside for all the people of Israel, and for foreigners living among them, so that anyone who accidentally killed someone could run there for safety. They wouldn't be killed by someone seeking revenge until they had a fair trial before the community.
Joshua 20:6
The person who accidentally killed someone must stay in that city of refuge until they can stand trial before the community leaders, and until the high priest who is serving at that time dies. Only then can the person who caused the death return safely to their own city and house—the place they had to flee from.

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Translation & Methodology Sources

The original manuscript text provided is based on the King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain. Our modern English simplifications are generated via proprietary philological synthesis, cross-referenced against Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and the Textus Receptus to ensure unwavering theological and etymological precision.

Read our full translation methodology →