Olrhaepnah 19
1 BOEIPA na Pathenloh namtomrhoek tea phae. Amih kah khohmuen te BOEIPA na Pathenloh nang ham ni a khueh. Te dongah amih te na haek tih a khopueirhoek neh amih im dongah kho na sak vaengah,
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,
2 BOEIPA na Pathenloh nang pang sak hama khueh na khohmuen khui ah khopuei pathumte namah loh hoep.
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].
3 BOEIPA na Pathenloh nang m'pang sak na khohmuen rhiah longpuei sael lamtah pathum la saii. Te daengah ni hlang aka ngawn tholh boeihloh te lamte rhaelrham vetih a om thai eh.
4 Tahae olka he tah hlang aka ngawntih pahoiaka rhaelrham hamla om pah saeh. Te daengahni hlaem hlaemvai ah khaw hmuhuet ngawn pawt dae poek mueh la a huiaka ngawn tea hing eh.
“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.
5 Thing top hamla a hui neh duup la cet tih thinga vung vaengah a kut dongkah hai te vik tling mai ni. Te vaengah haitueng dongkah thi coe tih a hui tea dae dongaha duek atah terhoek kah khopuei khat khat khuila rhaelrham saeh lamtah hing saeh.
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].
6 Thii phu aka sukloh a thin ling tih hlang aka ngawn hnuk te a hloem vaengah longpuei sen vetiha kae vaengah a hinglu vik ngawn pah ve. A duek te hlaem hlavai vaengah khaw a hmuhuet van oeh pawt dongaha dueknah ham tah laitloeknah khueh boeh.
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.
7 Te dongahni kai loh, “Namah ham khopuei pathum hoep,” ka titih nang kang uen.
[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].
8 Na parhoek taengkaha toemngam vanbangla na khorhi te BOEIPA na Pathenloh a aeh tih na parhoek taengah paek hamlaa thui khohmuen pum nang taengah m'paek vaengah,
“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].
9 tihninah kailoh nang kang uen olpaek boeih hena vai ham neh BOEIPA na Pathen tena lungnah tih a longpuei ah hnin takuem pongpa hamla ngaithuen lamtah herhoek pathum he khopuei pathum nen khaw namah loh koep thap.
10 Te dongah BOEIPA na Pathenloh nang ham rho la m'paek na khohmuen ah ommongsitoekaha thii he long boel saeh. Na pum dongah hlang thii kap van ve.
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.
11 Tedae hlang pakhat aka omloh a hui tea hmuhuet tih aniha rhongngol thil mai ni. Te phoeiaha pai thil tiha hinglu te a ngawn. A hui te duek tih hlang aka ngawn te herhoek kah khopuei khat khat laa rhaelrham atah.
“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],
12 A khopuei kah patong rhoek te tueih uh saeh lamtah hlang aka ngawn te lo uh saeh. Te phoeiah anih te thii phu aka suk kut ah tloeng uh saeh lamtah duek saeh.
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.
13 Anih te na mik long khaw rhen boel saeh. Ommongsitoe kah thii aka long sak te Israelkhui lamlohna voeih daengahni namah ham khaw a then.
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.”
14 BOEIPA na Pathenloh nang kahna pang ham m'paek khohmuen kah rho na pang dongah hlamat kah rhoek loh a suemuh na hui kah rhite rhawt pah boeh.
“[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.”
15 Thaesainah khat khat dongah khaw, tholhnah khat khat neh lai a hmuh vaengkah boirhaem lai khat khat dongah khaw hlang pakhat taengah laipai pakhat bueng pai tarha boel saeh. Laipai panit pathum kah olthui nen mah olka khaw cak sak saeh.
“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.
16 Laipailoh koeknah doo ham rhung la hlang taengah kuthlahnahlaa pai atah,
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 Tuituknah aka om hlang panitte BOEIPA mikhmuh, khosoih neh amah khohnin kah laitloek la aka omrhoek kah mikhmuh ah pai rhoi saeh.
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.
18 Te vaengah laitloek rhoek loh khaeh khaeh cae saeh. Tedae laithae kah laipai mai loh a manuca te laithae laipai ol neh a doo atah,
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,
19 a manuca taengah saii hama mangtaeng vanbangla anih ham khaw saiiuh. Na khui lamkah boethae te te tlam ni na hnawt eh.
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.
20 Te daengah ni aka sueng rhoek loh a yaakuh vaengaha rhihuh vetih na khui ah hebang hno thae koep saii hama khoepuh pawt eh.
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.
21 Te dongah hinglu yueng la hinglu van, mik yueng la mik, no yueng la no, kut yueng la kut, kho yueng la kho om saeh lamtah na mik long khaw rhen boel saeh.
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.”
