Deuteronomy 21
1 If, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you come across the dead body of a man in the open country, and you have no idea who has put him to death:
“Ne mieva ɖo ŋugbedodonyigba la dzi, eye wofɔ ame aɖe si wowu da ɖe gbe me la ƒe kukua, eye ame aɖeke mekpɔ ame si wui o la,
2 Then your responsible men and your judges are to come out, and give orders for the distance from the dead body to the towns round about it to be measured;
ekema ele be miaƒe ametsitsiwo kple ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo nadzidze didime si le teƒea kple du siwo te ɖe teƒea ŋu la dome.
3 And whichever town is nearest to the body, the responsible men of that town are to take from the herd a young cow which has never been used for work or put under the yoke;
Mina du si te ɖe eŋu wu la ƒe ametsitsiwo natsɔ nyinɔe ɖeka si womede kɔkuti kɔ na kpɔ o la,
4 And they are to take the cow into a valley where there is flowing water, and which is not ploughed or planted, and there the neck of the cow is to be broken:
ayi balime si tɔsisi aɖe to, eye womede agble ɖi kpɔ o. Woaŋe kɔ nyinɔe la le afi ma.
5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, are to come near; for they have been marked out by the Lord your God to be his servants and to give blessings in the name of the Lord; and by their decision every argument and every blow is to be judged:
“Nunɔlawo, ame siwo Yehowa, wò Mawu la tia be woawɔ dɔ le yeƒe ŋkume, ayra amewo, adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu, eye woahe to na amewo la
6 And all the responsible men of that town which is nearest to the dead man, washing their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the valley,
nava klɔ asi ɖe nyinɔe la dzi,
7 Will say, This death is not the work of our hands and our eyes have not seen it.
eye wòagblɔ be, ‘Menye míaƒe asiwoe kɔ ʋu sia ɖi o, eye míekpɔ hlɔ̃ sia dodo teƒe hã o.
8 Have mercy, O Lord, on your people Israel whom you have made free, and take away from your people the crime of a death without cause. Then they will no longer be responsible for the man's death.
O! Yehowa, tsɔ nu vɔ̃ ke wò dukɔ Israel, si wò ŋutɔ nèɖe, eye mègada ame maɖifɔ sia wuwu ɖe dukɔ la dzi o. Tsɔ ame sia ƒe ʋukɔkɔɖi ƒe nu vɔ̃ ke mí.’
9 So you will take away the crime of a death without cause from among you, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Ale nàɖe fɔɖiɖi sia ɖa le mia dome to Yehowa ƒe sewo dzi wɔwɔ me.”
10 When you go out to war against other nations, and the Lord your God gives them up into your hands and you take them as prisoners;
“Ne èyi aʋa, eye Yehowa, wò Mawu la na nèɖu futɔwo dzi,
11 If among the prisoners you see a beautiful woman and it is your desire to make her your wife;
eye ne èkpɔ ɖetugbi dzetugbe aɖe le aʋaléleawo dome la,
12 Then take her back to your house; and let her hair and her nails be cut;
kplɔe yi wò aƒe me. Ele be wòaƒlɔ ta, aɖe fe,
13 And let her take off the dress in which she was made prisoner and go on living in your house and weeping for her father and mother for a full month: and after that you may go in to her and be her husband and she will be your wife.
aɖe avɔ si wòta hafi wolée la da ɖi, ata avɔ bubu, eye wòanɔ wò aƒe me, afa fofoa kple dadaa ɣleti ɖeka blibo. Le esia megbe la, àte ŋu aɖee.
14 But if you have no delight in her, you are to let her go wherever she will; you may not take a price for her as if she was your property, for you have made use of her for your pleasure.
Ke ne èɖee vɔ hafi va kpɔ be meganyo na ye o la, ele be nàna ablɔɖee. Mègadzrae o, eye mègawɔe wò ŋutɔ wò kluvi hã o, elabena ède asi eŋu xoxo.”
15 If a man has two wives, one greatly loved and the other hated, and the two of them have had children by him; and if the first son is the child of the hated wife:
“Ne srɔ̃ eve le ŋutsu aɖe si, ŋutsua lɔ̃ srɔ̃a ɖeka, ke melɔ̃ evelia o, evɔ nyɔnu eveawo katã dzi vi nɛ, eye Via ŋutsu tsitsitɔ dadae nye srɔ̃a si ŋutsu la melɔ̃ o la,
16 Then when he gives his property to his sons for their heritage, he is not to put the son of his loved one in the place of the first son, the son of the hated wife:
mele be ŋutsu la nana domenyinu Via ŋutsu ɖevitɔ, ame si dada wòlɔ̃ la wòasɔ gbɔ wu Via ŋutsu tsitsitɔ, ame si dadaa melɔ̃ o la tɔ o.
17 But he is to give his first son his birthright, and twice as great a part of his property: for he is the first-fruits of his strength and the right of the first son is his.
Ele na ŋutsu la be wòawɔ dukɔa ƒe sea dzi, eye wòatsɔ Via ŋutsu suetɔ ƒe domenyinu ƒe teƒe eve ana Via ŋutsu tsitsitɔ, elabena eyae nye eƒe ŋusẽ ƒe gɔmetoto, eye etɔe nye ŋgɔgbevinyenye ƒe viɖewo katã, togbɔ be eyae nye srɔ̃ si fofoa melɔ̃ o la ƒe ŋutsuvi gbãtɔ hã.”
18 If a man has a son who is hard-hearted and uncontrolled, who gives no attention to the voice of his father and mother, and will not be ruled by them, though they give him punishment:
“Ne viŋutsu sẽto, dzeaglã aɖe le ŋutsu aɖe si, meɖoa to fofoa kple dadaa o, togbɔ be wohea to nɛ hafi hã la,
19 Then let his father and mother take him to the responsible men of the town, to the public place;
ekema fofoa kple dadaa nakplɔe ayi dumemetsitsiawo gbɔ,
20 And say to them, This son of ours is hard-hearted and uncontrolled, he will not give attention to us; he gives himself up to pleasure and strong drink.
agblɔ be, ‘Mía viŋutsu sia sẽa to, dzea aglã, eye mewɔa míaƒe gbe dzi o; gawu la, enye ame vlo kple ahanomunɔ.’
21 Then he is to be stoned to death by all the men of the town: so you are to put away the evil from among you; and all Israel, hearing of it, will be full of fear.
Ekema dua me tɔwo aƒu kpee wòaku. Ne miewɔ alea la, miaɖe nu vɔ̃ sia tɔgbi ɖa le mia dome, eye Israel ɖekakpuiwo katã ase nya si dzɔ eye vɔvɔ̃ aɖo wo.
22 If a man does a crime for which the punishment is death, and he is put to death by hanging him on a tree;
“Ne ame aɖe wɔ nu si dze na ku, eye wode ka ve nɛ la,
23 Do not let his body be on the tree all night, but put it to rest in the earth the same day; for the man who undergoes hanging is cursed by God; so do not make unclean the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.
mele be eƒe ŋutilã kukua natsi kadeveti la ŋuti ŋu nake o. Ele be woaɖii gbe ma gbe ke, elabena Mawu ƒo fi de ame sia ame si woatsi ɖe ati ŋuti. Mègagblẽ kɔ ɖo na anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la na wò la o.”
