Deuteronomy 19
1 When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses;
Når Herren din Gud utrydder de folk hvis land Herren din Gud gir dig, og du driver dem ut og bor i deres byer og i deres huser,
2 You are to have three towns marked out in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.
så skal du skille ut tre byer midt i det land som Herren din Gud gir dig til eie.
3 You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight.
Du skal gjøre veien til dem i stand og skifte hele det land som Herren din Gud gir dig til arv, i tre deler, forat enhver manndraper kan fly dit.
4 This is to be the rule for anyone who goes in flight there, after causing the death of his neighbour in error and not through hate;
Og således skal det være med den manndraper som skal kunne fly dit og berge livet: Når nogen dreper sin næste av vanvare og uten å ha hatet ham i forveien,
5 For example, if a man goes into the woods with his neighbour for the purpose of cutting down trees, and when he takes his axe to give a blow to the tree, the head of the axe comes off, and falling on to his neighbour gives him a wound causing his death; then the man may go in flight to one of these towns and be safe:
som når en går med sin næste ut i skogen for å hugge tømmer og han hugger til med øksen for å felle et tre, men øksen farer av skaftet og treffer hans næste, så han dør, da kan han fly til en av disse byer og berge livet.
6 For if not, he who has the right of punishment may go running after the taker of life in the heat of his wrath, and overtake him because the way is long, and give him a death-blow; though it is not right for him to be put to death because he was not moved by hate.
For blodhevneren kunde ellers i sin brennende vrede forfølge manndraperen og, hvis veien var for lang, nå ham igjen og slå ham ihjel, skjønt han ikke var skyldig til døden, fordi han ikke hadde båret hat til ham i forveien.
7 And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose.
Derfor byder jeg dig og sier: Du skal skille ut tre byer.
8 And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;
Og når Herren din Gud utvider dine landemerker, således som han har tilsvoret dine fedre, og han gir dig hele det land han har lovt å gi dine fedre,
9 If you keep and do all these orders which I give you today, loving the Lord your God and walking ever in his ways; then let three more towns, in addition to these three, be marked out for you:
såfremt du akter vel på å holde alle disse bud som jeg gir dig idag, så du elsker Herren din Gud og vandrer på hans veier alle dager - da skal du legge ennu tre byer til disse tre,
10 So that in all your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, no man may be wrongly put to death, for which you will be responsible.
forat der ikke skal utøses uskyldig blod i det land som Herren din Gud gir dig til arv, så det kommer blodskyld over dig.
11 But if any man has hate for his neighbour, and waiting for him secretly makes an attack on him and gives him a blow causing his death, and then goes in flight to one of these towns;
Men om en mann hater sin næste og lurer på ham og faller over ham og slår ham, så han dør, og han så flyr til en av disse byer,
12 The responsible men of his town are to send and take him, and give him up to the one who has the right of punishment to be put to death.
da skal de eldste i hans by sende bud og hente ham derfra og overgi ham i blodhevnerens hånd, og han skal dø.
13 Have no pity on him, so that Israel may be clear from the crime of putting a man to death without cause, and it will be well for you.
Du skal ikke spare ham, men du skal rense Israel for uskyldig blod, forat det må gå dig vel.
14 Your neighbour's landmark, which was put in its place by the men of old times, is not to be moved or taken away in the land of your heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.
Du skal ikke flytte merkestenene mellem dig og din næste, de som de gamle har satt på den jord du skal få i arv i det land Herren din Gud gir dig til eie.
15 One witness may not make a statement against a man in relation to any sin or wrongdoing which he has done: on the word of two or three witnesses a question is to be judged.
Det skal ikke stå bare ett vidne frem mot en mann, når det gjelder nogen misgjerning eller nogen synd, hvad synd det så er han har gjort; efter to vidners utsagn eller efter tre vidners utsagn skal en sak stå fast.
16 If a false witness makes a statement against a man, saying that he has done wrong,
Når et ondsindet vidne står frem mot nogen for å vidne mot ham om en forbrytelse,
17 Then the two men, between whom the argument has taken place, are to come before the Lord, before the priests and judges who are then in power;
da skal begge de menn som har sak mot hverandre, trede frem for Herrens åsyn, for prestene og dommerne som er i de dager,
18 And the judges will have the question looked into with care: and if the witness is seen to be false and to have made a false statement against his brother,
og dommerne skal nøie granske saken; er da vidnet et falskt vidne, har han vidnet falsk mot sin bror,
19 Then do to him what it was his purpose to do to his brother: and so put away the evil from among you.
da skal I gjøre mot ham som han hadde tenkt å gjøre mot sin bror; således skal du rydde det onde bort av din midte,
20 And the rest of the people, hearing of it, will be full of fear, and never again do such evil among you.
forat de andre må høre det og frykte, så de ikke mere gjør nogen sådan ond gjerning i din midte.
21 Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Du skal ingen spare: Liv for liv, øie for øie, tann for tann, hånd for hånd, fot for fot!
