5 Mosebog 19
1 Naar Herren din Gud har udryddet Hedningerne, hvis Land Herren din Gud giver dig, og du ejer dem og bor i deres Stæder og i deres Huse:
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 Da skal du udskille dig tre Stæder midt udi dit Land, hvilket Herren din Gud giver dig til Eje.
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 Du skal berede dig Vej til dem, og i tre Dele skal du dele dit Landemærke, som Herren din Gud lader dig arve; og det skal være saaledes, at hver Manddraber kan fly hen til den.
4 Og saaledes skal der forholdes med den Manddraber, som tør fly derhen og blive ved Live: Den, som slaar sin Næste af Vanvare og har ikke hadet ham tilforn;
“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 og den, som gaar ud med sin Næste i Skoven for at hugge Træer, og hans Haand slaar til med Øksen for at afhugge Træet, og Jernet farer af Skaftet og rammer hans Næste, saa at denne dør: Han kan fly til en af disse Stæder, at han maa leve,
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 saa at Blodhævneren ikke skal forfølge Manddraberen, medens hans Hjerte er ophidset, og naa ham, naar Vejen er lang, og slaa ham ihjel, skønt ingen Dødsdom er over ham; efterdi han ikke havde hadet ham tilforn.
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 Derfor byder jeg dig og siger: Du skal udskille dig tre Stæder.
[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 Og dersom Herren din Gud gør dit Landemærke videre, saaledes som han har tilsvoret dine Fædre, og giver dig alt det Land, som han sagde at ville give dine Fædre;
“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 naar du holder alle disse Bud, saa du gør det, hvilket jeg befaler dig i Dag, at elske Herren din Gud og at vandre i hans Veje alle Dage: Da skal du endnu lægge dig tre Stæder til disse tre,
10 at der ikke skal udøses uskyldigt Blod midt i dit Land, som Herren din Gud giver dig til Arv, og der skulde være Blodskyld paa dig.
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 Men naar der er en Mand, som hader sin Næste og lurer paa ham og rejser sig imod ham og slaar ham ihjel, at han dør, og han flyr til en af disse Stæder:
“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 Da skulle de Ældste af hans Stad sende hen og hente ham derfra og give ham i Blodhævnerens Haand, og han skal dø.
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 Dit Øje skal ikke spare ham, og du skal borttage det uskyldige Blod af Israel, at det maa gaa dig vel.
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 Du skal ikke flytte din Næstes Markskel, som Forfædrene satte til Skel i din Arv, som du arver i dit Land, hvilket Herren din Gud giver dig at eje.
“[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 Eet Vidne skal ikke staa frem imod nogen for nogen Misgerning eller for nogen Synd, i hvad Haande Synd nogen har syndet; efter to Vidners Mund eller efter tre Vidners Mund skal en Sag stadfæstes.
“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 Naar et uretfærdigt Vidne staar frem imod nogen, at vidne imod ham om en Overtrædelse:
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 Da skulle de to Mænd, som have Trætte, staa frem for Herrens Ansigt, for Præsternes og Dommernes Ansigt, dem som ere i de Dage,
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 og Dommerne skulle ransage; og se, er det Vidne et falsk Vidne, som har vidnet falskeligen imod sin Broder,
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 da skulle I gøre ved ham, saaledes som han havde tænkt at gøre ved sin Broder; og du skal borttage den onde af din Midte,
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 at de øvrige maa høre det og frygte og ikke blive ved at gøre ydermere efter denne onde Handel iblandt eder.
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 Og dit Øje skal ikke spare: Liv for Liv, Øje for Øje, Tand for Tand, Haand for Haand, Fod for Fod.
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.”
