where a person who accidentally killed someone could flee, if he killed his neighbor without having enmity toward him in the past. He may flee to one of these cities and live:

These are the instructions, decrees, and ordinances that Moses declared to the Israelis when they came out of Egypt.

"The LORD declared these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from out of the fire and dark clouds, and nothing more was added. He inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

"Now these are the commands, decrees, and ordinances that the LORD commanded me to teach you. Obey them in the land you are entering to possess,

Let these words that I'm commanding you today be always on your heart.

Then the LORD commanded us to observe all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God for our own good, so that he may keep us alive as we are today.

"If you pay attention to these laws and obey them, then the LORD your God will continue his covenant of gracious love with you that he promised with an oath to your ancestors.

"You may say to yourselves, "These nations are more numerous than we are. How can we dispossess them?'

He slowly will dislodge these nations before you, but he won't destroy them quickly, so the wild animals won't multiply around you.

Don't bring any detestable thing to your house, because you yourself will be utterly destroyed along with these detestable things. You must absolutely abhor and detest all of it, because it has been devoted to destruction."

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way these 40 years in the desert, to humble and test you in order to make known what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

"The clothes you wore did not wear out, nor did your feet blister during these 40 years.

On the contrary, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you to confirm what the LORD promised by an oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Take these commands to heart and keep them in mind, tying them as reminders on your arm and as bands on your forehead.

"If you carefully observe all of these commands that I'm giving you to do to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him,

then the LORD will dispossess all these nations before you and you'll dispossess nations that are even greater and stronger than you.

"These are the statutes and ordinances that you must carefully observe in the land that the LORD God of your ancestors has given you to possess every day that you live on the earth.

Be sure to observe all these words that I'm commanding you, in order that life may go well for you and your children after you forever, for this is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God."

after they have been destroyed in your sight, be careful not to be ensnared as they were. Otherwise, you will seek their gods and ask yourselves, "How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.'

These are the animals that you may eat: ox, sheep, goat,

However, you must not eat these animals that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel, hare, and rock badger. Even though they chew the cud, their hooves are not divided. Therefore they are unclean for you.

"You may choose to eat from these creatures in the water: you may eat anything with fin and scale,

But you must not eat from any of these: the eagle, vulture, osprey,

Only be certain to obey the voice of the LORD your God. Carefully observe all of these commands that I'm commanding to you today.

Don't ever forget that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, yet the LORD your God redeemed you. Therefore, I'm giving you these commands today.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, so keep and observe these statutes."

Furthermore, you are not to erect for yourselves a sacred stone pillar, because the LORD your God detests these things.

It is to remain with him the rest of his life so he may learn to fear the LORD his God and observe all the words of this Law and these statutes, in order to fulfill them.

Whoever practices these things is detestable to the LORD, and the LORD your God will expel them before you because of these things.

For instance, he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle and hit his friend, so that he died. The killer may flee to one of these cities to live.

and if you are careful to observe all these commands that I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God and to walk daily in his ways then add three more cities in addition to these three cities.

"You are not to leave even one person alive in the cities of these nations that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance.

Don't bring the earnings of a female prostitute nor the income of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God as payment for any vow. Both of these are detestable to the LORD your God."

for anyone who does these things anyone who deals dishonestly is detestable to the LORD your God."

"The LORD your God is commanding you this very day to observe these statutes and judgments. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and soul.

Moses and the elders of Israel gave these orders to the people: "Observe all of the commandments that I'm giving you today.

"When you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones about which I'm commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and coat them with plaster.

Moses gave the people these commands that day:

"When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

Moreover, all these blessings will come upon you in abundance, if you obey the LORD your God:

"But if you don't obey the LORD your God and faithfully carry out all his commands and statutes that I'm giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overwhelm you:

The LORD will afflict you with tuberculosis, fever, inflammation, high fever, drought, blight, and mildew. These will attack you until you are completely destroyed.

All these curses will come upon you and will overwhelm you until you are exterminated, because you didn't obey the LORD your God to keep his commands and statutes, which he had commanded you.

These curses will serve as a sign and wonder for you and your descendants as long as you live."

These are the terms of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelis in the land of Moab in addition to the covenant that he made with them in Horeb.

"When all these things happen to you both the blessings and the curses that I've presented to you and you take them seriously in all the nations where the LORD your God will deport you,

Then the LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate and persecute you."

Indeed, these commands that I'm giving you today are neither confusing nor unattainable for you.

Moses went and explained these things to everyone in Israel.

and the LORD told me, "You won't be crossing the Jordan River.' But the LORD your God is crossing over before you. He will destroy these nations in front of you and you will dispossess them. As for Joshua, he will cross over before you, just as the LORD promised.

Then he gave these orders: "At the end of seven years, the year designated for release, during the Festival of Tents,

When that happens, my anger will burn against them, because they will have abandoned me. I'll hide my face from them, they will be consumed, and many evils and distresses will find them. When this happens, they will say, "These troubles have happened to us because God isn't among us.'

Gather together the leaders of your tribes and your foremen so I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and the earth as witnesses against them,

When Moses had finished addressing all of these words to all Israel,

because they're not just empty words for you they are your very life. Through these instructions you will live long in the land that you are about to cross over the Jordan River to possess."

May the firstborn of his bull be honorable to him, and may his horns be those of a wild ox. With them may he push people all together, to the ends of the earth. These are the myriads of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh."

When we heard these reports, we all became terrified and discouraged because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.

Let this serve as a sign among you, so that when your children ask in times to come, "What do these stones mean to you,'

then you'll say to them, "Because the waters of the Jordan River were cut off in front of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan River, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones will become a memorial to the Israelis forever."

Then he told the Israelis, "When your descendants ask their parents in years to come, "What is the meaning of these stones?'

Now as for you, everything has been turned over for destruction. Don't covet or take any of these things. Otherwise, you'll make the camp of Israel itself an object worthy of destruction, and bring trouble on it.

The Israelis have been unable to stand before their enemies. They're turning their backs and running from their enemies because they themselves have been turned over to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy these things that have been turned over to destruction.

When you've taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD ordered. Look! These are your orders!"

And these wineskins were new when we filled them, but look now they're cracked. And our clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey."

Then Joshua gave this order: "Unseal the mouth of the cave and bring out these five kings to me from the cave."

So they did. They brought out these five kings to him from within the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

When they had brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel and spoke to the leaders of the men who had gone out to war along with him, "Come close and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

Joshua conquered all of these kings and their territories in one campaign, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

After all these kings had gathered together, they went out and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight Israel.

So Joshua captured and annihilated all of these cities, along with their kings, completely destroying them, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.

The Israelis took the spoils of war from these cities, along with their livestock, but they executed every human being until they had completely destroyed them, leaving no one alive.

So Joshua conquered all of these territories: the hill country, all of the Negev, the entire land of Goshen with its foothills, the plains of Jordan, and the mountains of Israel with its foothills

Also included was the entire kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was the sole survivor left of the Rephaim.) Although Moses had defeated these people and driven them out,

These were the allotments that Moses apportioned for an inheritance in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan River east of Jericho.

"Look how the LORD has let me survive, as you can see, these 45 years since the time when the LORD said this through Moses, while Israel was wandering through the wilderness. And look! I'm here today my eighty-fifth birthday!

Hepher's son Zelophehad, grandson of Gilead and great-grandson of Manasseh's son Machir had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

The border proceeded to the Kanah brook and proceeded south. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, with the border of Manasseh on the north of the brook, terminating at the Mediterranean Sea.

The descendants of Manasseh did not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites predominated in that territory.

These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun according to its families.

These towns and villages comprise the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its families.

These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Asher according to its families.

These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali according to its families.

These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Dan according to their families.

These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Nun's son Joshua, and the heads of the families of the Israeli tribes distributed by lot in the LORD's presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

These were appointed to be cities for all the Israelis and for the foreigner who lives among them, so that whoever kills anyone unintentionally may run there and not die at the hands of a closely related avenger until he stands for trial before the community.

The Israelis apportioned these cities, along with their pasture lands, to the descendants of Levi by random lot, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

From the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeon, they gave these cities, delineated by name:

Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands, for a total of nine cities from these two tribes.

These cities were each surrounded by pasture lands, as was the case with all of these cities.

You haven't abandoned your relatives these past days to the present, and you have met the obligation contained in the commands of the LORD your God.

"That's also why we said, "It may be if they say these things to us and to our descendants in the future, so we will respond, "Look at this replica of the altar of the LORD that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but rather as a reminder between us and you.

You have seen everything that the LORD your God has done to all of these nations on your behalf, because it has been the LORD your God who has been fighting on your behalf.

Now look, I have allocated these nations that remain as an inheritance for your tribes, including all of the nations that I have eliminated, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

because if you ever turn back and cling to those who remain of these nations by intermarrying with them and associating one with another,

know for certain that the LORD your God will not continue to drive out these nations ahead of you. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip to your backs, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

He wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the LORD,

Because the angel of the LORD said these things to all of the Israelis, the people wept out loud,

These nations included the five lords of the Philistines, all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.

When Israel was living in Heshbon and its surrounding villages, in Aroer and its surrounding villages, and in all the cities that line the banks of the Arnon River these past three hundred years, why didn't you retake them during that time?

But his wife replied to him, "If the LORD had intended to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from us, he wouldn't have shown us all these things, and he wouldn't have permitted us to hear things like this, now would he?"