< Olrhaepnah 21 >

1 BOEIPA na Pathen loh nang kah a pang la m'paek khohmuen kah kohong ah aka yalh rhok te a hmuh dae anih te u loh a ngawn khaw a mingpha pawt atah,
“Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
2 Namah kah patong rhoek neh na laitloek rhoek te cet uh saeh lamtah rhok taeng lamkah loh khopuei duela nueh uh saeh.
[If that happens], your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
3 Te vaengah rhok neh a yoei la aka om khopuei kah khopuei patong rhoek loh saelhung khuikah hnamkun aka mawt pawt tih aka thotat pawh vaitola te lo uh saeh.
Then the elders in the town that is closest to where the corpse was found must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
4 Te phoeiah vaitola te khopuei patong rhoek loh a khuiah a thotat pawt tih a tawn pawh soklong puei la suntlak puei saeh. Te phoeiah vaito te soklong ah pahoi top uh saeh.
They must take it to a place near a stream where the ground has never been plowed or planted. They must break its neck there in that valley.
5 Te vaengah amah kah bibi ham neh BOEIPA ming dongah yoethen aka pae ham BOEIPA na Pathen loh a coelh Levi koca khosoih rhoek te thoeih uh saeh lamtah tuituknah cungkuem neh nganbokyoknah cungkuem aka om te ol khueh thil uh saeh.
The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.
6 Rhok neh aka yoei khopuei kah patong rhoek boeih long khaw soklong kah a ah vaito te a kut silh thil uh saeh.
The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
7 Te phoeiah doo uh saeh lamtah, “Kaimih kut ah hlang thii he long rhoe la long pawt tih kaimih mik long khaw a hmuh moenih.
and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
8 Aw BOEIPA na pilnam la na lat Israel he tholh han dawth pah. Ommongsitoe thii loh na pilnam Israel lakli la coe sak boel lamtah hlang thii khui lamkah loh amih ham khaw dawth la om saeh,” ti uh saeh.
Yahweh, forgive us, your Israeli people whom you rescued [from Egypt]. Do not consider (us to be guilty/that we should be punished because) of murdering someone who (is innocent/had not done something that is wrong). Instead, forgive us.’
9 Te dongah namah khui lamkah ommongsitoe thii te namah loh khoe lamtah BOEIPA mikhmuh ah a thuem la saii.
By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.”
10 Na thunkha rhoek taengah caem la na caeh vaengah anih te BOEIPA na Pathen loh na kut dongah han tloeng tih tamna la na sol mai ni.
“When you [soldiers] go to fight against your enemies, and Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them [IDM], and (they become your prisoners/you capture them),
11 Te vaengah tamna khuikah huta suisak sakthen te na hmuh tih na ven coeng. Te dongah na yuu la lo laeh.
one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
12 Na im khui la khuen. Te phoeiah a lu te vo saeh lamtah a kuttin khaw saii saeh.
He should take her to his home, and there she must shave [all the hair off] her head and cut her fingernails [to signify that now she does not belong to her people-group any more, but instead she is becoming an Israeli].
13 Na imkhui ah a om vaengah a pum dongkah a tamna himbai te pit saeh lamtah khohnin hla khat khuiah a manu a napa te rhah dae saeh. Te phoeiah anih te na kun thil tih na yuunah vaengah namah yuu la om van ni.
She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, [and put on Israeli clothes]. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of [leaving] her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
14 Tedae anih te na ngaih pawt tih na tueih coeng atah amah hinglu la om van saeh lamtah tangka la na yoi rhoe na yoi mahpawh. Anih te na khah coeng dongah na kulup sut mai mahpawh.
Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was forced to have sex with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave [and sell her to someone else].”
15 Hlang pakhat te yuu panit om tih pakhat te a lungnah dae pakhat te tah a hnoel. Te vaengah a lungnah a yuu long khaw, a hnoel long khaw anih ham ca a sak pah rhoi tih a hnoel kah a capa te a caming la om mai ni.
“Suppose that a man has two wives, but he likes one of them and dislikes the other one. And suppose that they both give birth to sons, and the oldest son is the child of the woman that he does not like.
16 Tedae amah taengah aka om te a ca rhoi a pheang tue a pha atah a hnoel huta capa, a caming kah mikhmuh mai ah a lungnah huta kah a capa te a caming la coeng sak boel saeh.
On the day when that man decides how he will divide his possessions for his sons to possess [after he dies], he must not favor the son of the wife that he loves by giving him [a bigger share, ] the share that the older son should receive.
17 A hnoel kah a capa caming la hmat saeh lamtah amah taengkah a dang boeih dongah a thaham rhaepnit la pae saeh. A thahuem cuek he caminghamsum kah hamsum van ni.
He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.”
18 Hlang pakhat taengah capa thinthah om tih a napa ol neh a manu ol te hnatun mueh la a koek mai ni. Anih te a toel rhoi dae te rhoi taengkah te hnatun pawh.
“Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always (rebelling against/disobeying) [his parents], and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him [MTY].
19 Anih te a manu neh a napa loh mawt saeh lamtah te hmuen vongka kah khopuei patong rhoek taengla khuen saeh.
If that happens, his parents must take him to the (gate of/central meeting place in) the city where he lives and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
20 Te phoeiah a khopuei patong rhoek taengah, “Ka ca a thinthah tih ka ol a ngai mueh la a koek. Te dongah carhut yumii la om,” ti rhoi saeh.
Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him [MTY]. He wastes a lot of money (OR, eats too much food) and gets drunk.’
21 Te vaengah anih te khopuei tongpa boeih loh lungto neh dae uh saeh lamtah duek saeh. Na khui lamkah boethae khaw te tlam te na hnawt daengah ni Israel pum loh a yaak uh vetih a rhih uh eh.
Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you. And everyone in Israel will hear [about what happened] and they will be afraid [to do what he did].”
22 Hlang pakhat te tholhnah kongah dueknah ham laitloeknah om tih a duek vaengah thing dongla na kuiok sak mai ni.
“If someone is executed for having committed a crime for which he deserves to die, and you hang his corpse on a post,
23 a rhok te thing dongah rhaeh sak boeh. Kuiok he Pathen kah rhunkhuennah la a om dongah amah khohnin van vaengah up rhoe up laeh. Te dongah BOEIPA na Pathen loh nang taengah rho la m'paek na khohmuen te poeih boeh.
you must not allow his corpse to remain there all night. You must bury it on the day that he died, because [God] has cursed anyone whose corpse is allowed to remain on a post. [You must bury the corpse that day], in order that you do not defile the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”

< Olrhaepnah 21 >