Deuteronomy 19
1 After Yahweh our God has gotten rid of the people-groups from the land that he is giving to you, and after you have expelled them from their cities and you start to live in their houses,
“Ne Yehowa, wò Mawu la tsrɔ̃ dukɔ siwo teƒe xɔ ge nàla, eye ne èle woƒe duwo kple aƒewo me la,
2 you must divide into three parts the land that he is giving to you. Then choose a city in each part. You must make good roads [in order that people can get to those cities easily]. Someone who kills another person can escape to one of those cities [to be safe/protected].
ekema nàtia du etɔ̃ siwo le anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la le nàwom la titina lɔƒo la na ɖokuiwò.
Ɖe mɔwo ɖe wo dome, eye nàma anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la le nawòm abe wò domenyinu ene la ɖe akpa etɔ̃ me, ale be ne ame aɖe wu nɔvia la, wòasi ayi afi ma.
4 “This is the rule about someone who has killed another person. If someone (accidentally/without planning to) kills another person who was not his enemy, he may escape to one of those cities and be safe/protected there.
“Nu si ta wòle be du siawo nanɔ anyi ɖo la woe nye:
5 For example, if two men go into the forest to cut some wood, if the axe head comes off the handle while one of them is chopping down a tree and the axe head strikes and kills the other man, the man [who was using the axe] will be allowed to run to one of those cities and be safe there, [because the people of that city will protect him].
Ne ame aɖe kple nɔvia aɖe woyi nake fɔ ge le ave me, eye fia la dzo le esi, eye wòwu nɔvia la, amewula la asi ayi du mawo dometɔ ɖeka me, eye wòanɔ dedie.
6 Because he accidentally killed someone, and because the man was not his enemy, he can try to run to one of those cities. If there were only one city, it may be a long distance to that city. Then if the relative of the man who was killed [MTY], the man who is supposed/expected to get revenge, is very angry, he may be able to catch the other person before he arrives at that city.
Ne menye nenema o la, hlɔ̃biala la ati eyome kple dɔmedzoe, atui ne sitsoƒedu la gbɔ didi akpa, eye wòawui togbɔ be medze na ku hafi o, elabena menye ɖe wòɖoe hafi wu nɔvia o.
7 [To prevent that from happening], you must choose three cities, not only one, [in order that someone can get to one of those cities quickly].
Nu sia ta meɖoe na wò be nàtia du etɔ̃ da ɖi na ɖokuiwò.
8 “If you do everything that I am today commanding you to do, and if you love Yahweh our God, and if you conduct your lives as he wants you to do, Yahweh our God will give you much more land than you will have when you first occupy it, which is what he promised to do. He will give you all the land which he promised your ancestors that he would give to you. When he gives you that land, you must select three more cities [to which people may escape].
“Yehowa wò Mawu akeke wò anyigba la ƒe liƒowo ɖe edzi abe ale si wòdo ŋugbe na tɔgbuiwòwo ene, eye wòatsɔ anyigba blibo si ŋugbe wòdo la na wò.
Esia aku ɖe ale si nèwɔ eƒe se siwo katã mele dedem na wò egbe, be nàlɔ̃ Yehowa wò Mawu, eye nàzɔ ɖe eƒe ɖoɖowo nu la dzi. Ne esia va eme la, ele be nàgawɔ du bubu etɔ̃ Sitsoƒeduwoe.
10 Do this in order that people who (are innocent/have killed someone else without planning to) will not die, and you will not be guilty for [allowing] them to be executed, in the land that Yahweh is giving to you.
Ale nàte ŋu axɔ ame maɖifɔwo ɖe agbe le anyigba si Yehowa wò Mawu tsɔ na wò la dzi, eye ʋukɔkɔɖi dzodzro ƒe agba manɔ dziwò o.
11 “But suppose someone hates his enemy and hides and waits for that person [to come along the road]. Then [when he passes by, suddenly] he attacks him and murders him. If the attacker flees to one of those cities [to be protected there],
“Ke ne ame aɖe lé fu nɔvia, de xa ɖi nɛ hewui, eye wòsi yi sitsoƒedu siawo dometɔ ɖeka me la,
12 the elders of the city [where the murdered man lived must not protect the attacker. They]. must send someone to the city to which the other man escaped, and bring him to [MTY] the relative who is supposed/expected to get revenge, so that he may execute that man.
eƒe dumemetsitsiwo aɖo du ɖee, ana woakplɔe ava aƒee, eye woatsɔe ade asi na ame kuku la ƒe hlɔ̃biala be wòawui.
13 You must not pity those who murder other people! Instead, you must execute them, in order that the people in the land of Israel will not murder [MTY] innocent people, and in order that things will go well for you.”
Mègakpɔ nublanui nɛ o! Ɖe hlɔ̃dolawo katã ɖa le Israelviwo dome! Eya ko hafi nu sia nu ayi edzi nyuie na mi.
14 “[When you are living] in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, do not move the markers of your neighbors’ property boundaries which were placed there long ago.”
“Ne èva ɖo anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la le na wò ge la dzi la, ɖo ŋku edzi be, mèkpɔ mɔ aho ame aɖeke ƒe liƒotiwo agbugbɔ wo atu ale be nàfi eƒe anyigba gbeɖegbeɖe o.”
15 “If someone is accused of committing a crime, one (witness/person who says, ‘I saw him do it’) is not enough. There must be at least two (witnesses/people who say, ‘We saw him do it’). [If there is only one witness], the judge must not believe that what he says is true.
“Mègabu fɔ ame aɖeke le ɖasefo ɖeka ko ƒe ɖaseɖiɖi ta o. Ele be ɖasefoawo nade eve godoo; anyo wu ne woade etɔ̃.
16 “If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
Ne ame aɖe ɖi aʋatsoɖase hegblɔ be yekpɔ ame aɖe wòwɔ nu vɔ̃ esime amea mewɔ nu vɔ̃ la o la,
17 both of them must go to the place where the people worship, to [talk to] the priests and judges who are serving at that time.
na woakplɔ ame eveawo ayi nunɔlawo kple ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo gbɔ le Yehowa ŋkume.
18 The judges must (investigate the case carefully/try to find out which one is telling the truth). If [the judges determine that] one of them has accused the other falsely,
Woabia gbe wo tsitotsito, eye ne wokpɔ be ɖasefo la ka aʋatso la,
19 that person must be punished in the same way that the other one would have been punished [if the judge decided that he (was guilty/had done what is wrong)]. By punishing such people, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.
woahe to si wòbu be woahe na ame kemɛ la hafi la na eya ŋutɔ boŋ. To mɔ sia dzi, eye nàɖe nu vɔ̃ wɔwɔ ɖa le mia dome.
20 And/Because when that person is punished, everyone will hear what has happened, and they will be afraid, and no one will dare to act that way any more.
“Ekema ame siwo asee la avɔ̃ na aʋatsoɖaseɖiɖi.
21 You must not pity people who are punished like that. The rule should be that a person who has murdered someone else must be executed; one of a person’s eyes must be gouged out if he has gouged out someone else’s eye, one tooth of a person who has knocked out the tooth of another person must be knocked out; one hand of a person who has cut off the hand of another person must likewise be cut off; one foot of a person who has cut off the foot of another person must also be cut off.”
Mègakpɔ nublanui na aʋatsoɖasefo aɖeke o. Le nya sia tɔgbiwo me la, se si dzi nàkpɔe nye: agbe ɖe agbe teƒe, ŋku ɖe ŋku teƒe, aɖu ɖe aɖu teƒe, asi ɖe asi teƒe, afɔ ɖe afɔ teƒe.”
