< Joshua 20 >

1 Then the Lord told Joshua,
UThixo wasesithi kuJoshuwa:
2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Assign sanctuary towns, as I instructed you through Moses.
“Tshela abako-Israyeli ukuthi baphawule amadolobho okuphephela njengokulilaya engakwenza ngoMosi,
3 Then any man who kills somebody by accident, unintentionally, can run there and they will be protected from those who wish to take revenge.
ukuze wonke umuntu obulala omunye ngengozi hatshi ngabomo abalekele kulo ukuze aphephe esandleni somphindiseli wegazi.
4 When he gets to one of these towns, he shall state his case to the elders at the town gates. They must allow him to enter, and they will also arrange a place for him to stay.
Lapho ebalekela kwelinye lala amadolobho, kumele eme esangweni ledolobho abesesitsho ukuthi ukhala ngani ebadaleni balelodolobho. Abadala sebezamamukela-ke edolobheni labo besebemnika indawo yokuhlala phakathi kwabo.
5 If the one seeking revenge comes looking for the man, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, because he killed someone unintentionally and without deliberate hatred.
Nxa umphindiseli wegazi emlandela, akumelanga bamnikele lowo owetheswa umlandu ngoba kambulalanga ngabomo kumbe ngenhliziyo embi.
6 He shall remain in that town until he has received a public trial and a verdict has been given, and until the death of the high priest of the time. Then he is free to return to his home, back to the town from where he ran away.’”
Usezahlala kulelodolobho kuze kufike isikhathi sokuthonisiswa phambi kwebandla njalo kuze kufe umphristi omkhulu oyabe ephethe umsebenzi ngalesosikhathi. Lapho usengabuyela ngakibo, edolobheni abaleka kulo.”
7 So they assigned the following sanctuary towns: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (or Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.
Ngakho behlukanisa iKhedeshi eseGalile elizweni lamaqaqa koNafithali, iShekhemu elizweni lamaqaqa ko-Efrayimi leKhiriyathi Aribha (okutsho iHebhroni) elizweni lamaqaqa koJuda.
8 On the other side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, they assigned: Bezer, in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
Empumalanga yeJodani leJerikho baphawula iBhezeri enkangala esemagcekeni esizwaneni sikaRubheni, iRamothi eseGiliyadi esizwaneni sikaGadi, leGolani eseBhashani esizwaneni sikaManase.
9 These were the assigned towns for all the Israelites, as well as for the foreigners living among them. Anyone who unintentionally killed someone could go there so they would not be killed by those who wished to take revenge before they had received a public trial and been given a guilty verdict.
Iloba ngubani owako-Israyeli kumbe omunye owezizweni ohlala phakathi kwabo owabulala omunye umuntu ngengozi wayengabalekela emadolobheni aqanjiweyo, aphephe ekubulaweni ngumphindiseli wegazi engakamiswa phambi kwebandla ukuba athonisiswe.

< Joshua 20 >