13 Bible Verses about Asylum

"And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six cities of franchise which ye shall give to that intent that he which committeth a slaughter, may fly thither. And to them ye shall add forty two cities more:

Then Moses severed three cities on the other side Jordan toward the sun rising, that he should flee thither which had killed his neighbour unawares and hated him not in time past, and therefore should flee unto one of the same cities and live: Bezer in the wilderness, even in the plain country, among the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead among the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan among the Manassites.

When the LORD thy God hath destroyed the nations whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou hast conquered them and dwellest in their cities and in their houses; thou shalt appoint three cities in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare the way and divide the coasts of thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts that whosoever committeth murder may flee thither.read more.
And this is the cause of the slayer that shall flee thither and be saved: If he smite his neighbour ignorantly and hated him not in time past; as when a man goeth unto the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and as his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe, the head slippeth from the helve and smiteth his neighbour that he die; the same shall flee unto one of the same cities and be saved. Lest the executer of blood follow after the slayer while his heart is hot and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him, and yet there is no cause worthy of death in him, inasmuch as he hated not his neighbour in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying, 'See that thou appoint out three cities.' And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coasts as he hath sworn unto thy fathers and give thee all the land which he said he would give unto thy fathers - so that thou keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, that thou love the LORD thy God and walk in his ways ever - then thou shalt add three cities more unto those three, that innocent blood be not shed in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, and so blood come upon thee. But and if there be any man that hateth his neighbour and layeth await for him and riseth against him and smiteth him that he die, and fleeth unto any of these cities; Then let the elders of his city send and fetch him thence and deliver him into the hands of the justice of blood, and he shall die. Let thine eye have no pity on him, and so thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, and happy art thou. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's mark which they of old time have set in thine inheritance that thou inheritest in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to enjoy it.

Then the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, "Come with the children of Israel and say, 'Appoint out free cities, of which I spake unto you by Moses, that the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly, may flee thither. And those cities shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.read more.
And the slayer shall flee unto one of those Cities and shall stand in the entering of the gate of the city and shall show his cause in the ears of the elders of the said city. And they shall take him into the city unto them, and shall give him a place that he may dwell among them. And when the avenger of blood followeth after him they shall not deliver the slayer unto his hand: because he smote his friend ignorantly, and hated him not before time. And he shall dwell in the said city until he stand before the congregation in judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. And then shall the slayer return and come unto his own city and unto his own house, and unto the city from whence he fled.'" And they appointed Kadesh in Galilee, in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kiriatharba which is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah. And on the other side Jordan over against Jericho eastward, they gave 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. These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and to the strangers that Sojourned among them that whosoever killed any person ignorantly, the same might flee thither and should not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

In which tribe they gave unto them the cities of Refuge: Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs, and Gezer with her suburbs,

And the men said unto her, "We will be blameless of thy oath, which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come unto the land, thou shalt bind this purple threaden cord in the window, which thou lettest us down by. And thou shalt bring thy father, thy mother, thy brethren, and all thy father's household, even into the house to thee. And then whosoever go out at the doors of thy house, into the street, his blood shall be upon his own head, and we guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood be upon our heads if any man's hand be upon him:read more.
And even so if thou utter these our words, we will be quit of thy oath which thou hast made us swear." And she said, "According unto your words, so be it." And so sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the purple cord in the window.

Then thought David in his heart, "I may perish, one day or other, by the hands of Saul. There is no better for me, than to flee into the land of the Philistines; that Saul, of very despair to find me, may cease to seek me anymore in all the coasts of Israel: for so I may escape his hand." And David arose, and he and the six hundred men that were with him went unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, both he and his men, every man with his household; and David with his two wives: Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife of Carmel.read more.
And when it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath, he sought no more for him. And David said unto Achish, "If I have found grace in thine eyes, let me have a place in some town in the fields, that I may dwell there. For what should thy servant dwell in the head city of the kingdom with thee?" Then Achish gave him Ziklag the same day; for which cause Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines, was a year and four months. And David and his men went and ran upon the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites: which nations were from the beginning the inhabiters of the land, as men go to Shur, and so forth to Egypt. And David smote the land and left neither man nor woman alive, and took the sheep, the oxen, the asses, camels, and clothes, and removed and came to Achish. And Achish said, "Have ye not been a roving this day?" And David answered, "Yes, in the south of Judah, and in the south of the Jezreelites, and in the south of the Kenites." But David let neither man nor woman come living unto Gath, and thought, "They might peradventure speak, and report against us, 'Thus did David.'" And this was his manner as long as he dwelt in the land of the Philistines. And Achish believed David, saying, "He hath made himself to stink unto his people Israel, and thereto he shall be my servant forever."

If a man lay not await, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will point thee a place whither he shall flee.

ye shall build cities which shall be privileged towns for you: that he which slayeth a man unawares, may fly thither. And the cities shall be to flee from the executer of blood, that he which killed die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. And of these six free cities which ye shall give,read more.
three ye shall give on this side Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. And these six free cities shall be for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for him that dwelleth among you, that all they which kill any person unawares, may flee thither. "'If any man smite another with a weapon of iron that he die, then he is a murderer, and shall die for it. If he smite him with a throwing stone that he die therewith, then he shall die: For he is a murderer and shall be slain therefore. If he smite him with a hand weapon of wood that he die therewith, then he shall die: for he is a murderer and shall be slain therefore. The judge of blood shall slay the murderer, as soon as he findeth him. "'If he thrust him of hate, or hurl at him with laying of wait that he die, or smite him with his hand of envy that he die; he that smote him shall die, for he is a murderer. The justice of blood shall slay him as soon as he findeth him. But and if he pushed him by chance and not of hate, or cast at him with any manner of thing and not of laying of wait, or cast any manner of stone at him that he die therewith, and saw him not, and he cast it upon him and he died, but was not his enemy, neither sought him any harm; then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the executer of blood in such cases. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the judge of blood, and shall restore him again unto the franchised city whither he was fled. And he shall bide there unto the death of the high priest which was anointed with holy oil. "'But and if he came without the borders of his privileged city whither he was fled, if the blood avenger find him without the borders of his free town, he shall slay the murderer and be guiltless, because he should have bidden in his free town until the death of the high priest, and after the death of the high priest, he shall return again unto the land of his possession. And this shall be an ordinance and a law unto you, among your children after you in all your habitations. Whosoever slayeth, shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses. For one witness shall not answer against one person to put him to death. Moreover ye shall take none amends for the life of the murderer, which is worthy to die: But he shall be put to death. Also ye shall take none atonement for him that is fled to a free city, that he should come again and dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.

thou shalt appoint three cities in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare the way and divide the coasts of thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts that whosoever committeth murder may flee thither. And this is the cause of the slayer that shall flee thither and be saved: If he smite his neighbour ignorantly and hated him not in time past;read more.
as when a man goeth unto the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and as his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe, the head slippeth from the helve and smiteth his neighbour that he die; the same shall flee unto one of the same cities and be saved. Lest the executer of blood follow after the slayer while his heart is hot and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him, and yet there is no cause worthy of death in him, inasmuch as he hated not his neighbour in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying, 'See that thou appoint out three cities.' And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coasts as he hath sworn unto thy fathers and give thee all the land which he said he would give unto thy fathers - so that thou keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, that thou love the LORD thy God and walk in his ways ever - then thou shalt add three cities more unto those three, that innocent blood be not shed in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, and so blood come upon thee. But and if there be any man that hateth his neighbour and layeth await for him and riseth against him and smiteth him that he die, and fleeth unto any of these cities; Then let the elders of his city send and fetch him thence and deliver him into the hands of the justice of blood, and he shall die. Let thine eye have no pity on him, and so thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, and happy art thou.

Then the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, "Come with the children of Israel and say, 'Appoint out free cities, of which I spake unto you by Moses, that the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly, may flee thither. And those cities shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.read more.
And the slayer shall flee unto one of those Cities and shall stand in the entering of the gate of the city and shall show his cause in the ears of the elders of the said city. And they shall take him into the city unto them, and shall give him a place that he may dwell among them. And when the avenger of blood followeth after him they shall not deliver the slayer unto his hand: because he smote his friend ignorantly, and hated him not before time. And he shall dwell in the said city until he stand before the congregation in judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. And then shall the slayer return and come unto his own city and unto his own house, and unto the city from whence he fled.'"

And they appointed Kadesh in Galilee, in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kiriatharba which is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah. And on the other side Jordan over against Jericho eastward, they gave 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. These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and to the strangers that Sojourned among them that whosoever killed any person ignorantly, the same might flee thither and should not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

Thou shalt prepare the way and divide the coasts of thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts that whosoever committeth murder may flee thither.