Joshua 20

1 To naah Angraeng mah Joshua khaeah,

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 Mosi patohhaih rang hoiah kang thuih o ih baktih toengah, Israel kaminawk mah abuephaih vangpui tarukto pahoe o hanah thui paeh;

“Tell the Israeli people that they should choose some cities to which people [can run] in order to be safe/protected, like I told Moses that they should do.

3 to tiah ni kami maeto mah poek ai pui hoi kami hum moeng naah, athii tho lu lak koeh kami ban thung hoi loih thai hanah abuephaih vangpui ah om tih.

If someone kills another person accidentally, not intending to kill that person, the one who killed that person may run/escape to one of these cities and be safe/protected from someone trying to get revenge for that person’s death [MTY].

4 Hae vangpuinawk thung ih vangpui maeto ah a cawnh naah, vangpui thung akunhaih khogkha taengah angdoe ueloe, to vangpui thungah kaom kacoehtanawk hmaa ah angmah kawng to taphong tih; to tiah a thuih pacoengah ni anih to vangpui thungah akunsak ueloe, nihcae hoi nawnto oh hanah anih han ohhaih ahmuen to paek o tih.

When the one who killed someone arrives at the gate of one of those cities, he must stop there and tell the leaders of the city what happened. [If they believe him], they must allow him to enter the city, and they must give him a place to live among them.

5 Athii tho lu lak koeh kami mah anih to patom nahaeloe, anih loe canghniah a imtaeng kami hnukmahaih tawn ai, kami hum koehhaih palungthin hoiah hum ai pongah, vangpui thungah kaom kaminawk mah anih to lu lak koeh kami ban ah paek o mak ai.

If some relative of the one who was killed comes to that city to get revenge, the leaders of that city must not allow the relative to take the killer, because what happened was accidental. He did not hate that person and as a result deliberately kill him.

6 Anih to rangpui lokcaekhaih hmaa ah angdoe ai karoek to, to atue thuemah toksah qaima dueh ai karoek to, to vangpui thungah om tih; qaima duek pacoengah ni poek ai pui hoiah kami hum moeng kami to a ohhaih vangpui ah amlaem thai let vop tih, tiah a naa.

But the person who killed someone must stay in that city until the city judges put him on trial. [Only if the judges decide that the person who has run/escaped to their city did not deliberately kill the other person will they allow him to stay in that city], and he must stay there until the Supreme Priest dies. Then he may safely go back to his own town, [because the death of the Supreme Priest will be considered to atone/pay for the death of the person who was killed].”

7 To pongah nihcae mah Kalili prae ih Naphtali mae nuiah Kedesh vangpui, Ephraim mae nuiah Shekem vangpui, Judah mae nuiah Hebron, tiah kawk ih Kirjath-Arba vangpui,

So the Israelis chose these cities to be cities to which people could run to be safe/protected: Kedesh in the Galilee district in the hilly area where the tribe of Naphtali lived; Shechem in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived; Kiriath-Arba (which is [now named] Hebron) in the hilly area where the tribe of Judah lived;

8 Jordan vapui yaeh, Jeriko vangpui ni angyae bang ih Reuben acaengnawk ohhaih ahmuen ah kaom praezaek azawn ih Bezer vangpui, Gad acaengnawk ohhaih ahmuen ih Gilead prae ih Ramoth vangpui, Manasseh acaengnawk ohhaih ahmuen Bashan prae ih Golan vangpui to a qoih o.

Bezer, on the east side of the Jordan [River] near Jericho, in the flat land in the desert where the tribe of Reuben lived; Ramoth in the Gilead [region] in the land where the tribe of Gad lived; and Golan in the Bashan region where the tribe of Manasseh lived.

9 Hae loe Israel kaminawk hoi nihcae salakah khosah angvinnawk mah, poek ai pui hoiah kami hum moeng naah, hae vangpuinawk ah cawnh o moe, rangpui lokcaekhaih hmaa ah angdoe ai karoek to, athii tho lu lak koeh kami ban thung hoi loih thai hanah, kacawn kaminawk abuephaih vangpui ah oh o.

Any Israeli or any foreigner who lived among us, anyone who killed someone (accidentally/without planning to do it), was allowed to run to one of those cities, and be safe/protected from some relative of the person who died coming there and killing him to get revenge. He could stay in that city until there was a trial there [to decide whether he was telling the truth or not when he said that he did not plan to kill that person].