Joshua 20
1 Mgbe ahụ, Onyenwe anyị gwara Joshua okwu sị ya,
The LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Gwa ụmụ Izrel okwu sị ha họpụtara onwe unu obodo mgbaba dịka m gwara unu site nʼaka Mosis.
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,
3 Ka obodo ndị a bụrụ ebe onye gburu mmadụ nʼọghọm na-amaghị ama ga-agbaga nʼihi izere ndụ ya site nʼaka onye ahụ ga-achọ ịbọrọ ọbọ ọchụ.
that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 Mgbe onye gburu mmadụ ahụ na-amaghị ama gbabara nʼime otu obodo ndị a, ọ ga-eguzo nʼọnụ ụzọ ama obodo ahụ gwa ndị okenye obodo ahụ ihe niile mere. Ndị okenye ahụ ga-akpọbata ya nʼime obodo ahụ, nye ya ebe ọ ga-ebi nʼetiti ha.
He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live amongst them.
5 Ọ bụrụkwa na onye ikwu onye ahụ nwụrụ anwụ abịa ịbọrọ ọbọ ọchụ ahụ, ndị okenye obodo ahụ agaghị ekwe ka e gbuo onye ahụ gburu mmadụ na-amaghị ama, nʼihi na onye ahụ akpachaghị anya mee ihe o mere.
If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbour unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.
6 Onye ahụ gburu mmadụ na-amaghị ama ga-anọgide nʼobodo ahụ ruo mgbe ọ ga-akwụrụ nʼihu nzukọ maka ikpe ruokwa mgbe onyeisi nchụaja nọ nʼoge ahụ nwụrụ. Mgbe ahụ, o nwere ike laghachi nʼụlọ nke aka ya na nʼobodo ya bụ ebe o si gbapụ ọsọ.”
He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgement, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the man slayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.’”
7 Obodo ndị ha kewapụtara iche dịka obodo mgbaba bụ, Kedesh, nke dị nʼime Galili, nʼala ugwu ugwu ndị Naftalị; na Shekem, nke dị nʼala ugwu ugwu Ifrem na Kiriat Aba, nke a na-akpọkwa Hebrọn. Ọ dị nʼala ugwu ugwu Juda.
They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 Ha kewapụtara obodo atọ ọzọ nʼihi otu ihe ahụ, nʼakụkụ ọwụwa anyanwụ osimiri Jọdan nʼofe Jeriko. Obodo atọ ndị a bụ, Beza, nke dị nʼọzara, nʼala larịị ahụ e nyere ebo Ruben, na Ramọt; nke dị nʼime Gilead bụ ala ebo Gad; na Golan, nʼime Bashan, nke e si nʼala ebo Manase wepụta.
Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
9 Obodo mgbaba ndị a a họpụtara bụ maka ndị ọbịa bi nʼetiti ụmụ Izrel, na maka ụmụ Izrel. Ọ bụ ebe onye ọbụla gburu mmadụ na-amaghị ama ga-agbaga. Onye na-abọrọ ọbọ ọchụ agaghị egbukwa onye ahụ tupu e kpee ya ikpe nʼọgbakọ ndị Izrel.
These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives amongst them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation.
