Deuteronomy 19
1 And when the Lord your God shall have destroyed the nations, which God gives you, [even] the land, and you shall inherit them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses,
Wakati Bwana Mungu wenu atakapokuwa amewaangamiza mataifa ambayo nchi yao anawapa ninyi, wakati mtakapokuwa mmewafukuza na kuishi katika miji yao na nyumba zao,
2 you shall separate for yourself three cities in the midst of your land, which the Lord your God gives you.
ndipo mtenge miji mitatu iliyopo katikati ya nchi kwa ajili yenu, katika nchi ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa kuimiliki.
3 Take a survey of your way, and you shall divide the coasts of your land, which the Lord your God apportions to you, into three parts, and there shall be there a refuge for every manslayer.
Jengeni barabara katika miji hiyo na kuigawa mara tatu, nchi anayowapa Bwana Mungu wenu kama urithi, ili kwamba yeyote amuuaye mtu aweze kukimbilia humo.
4 And this shall be the ordinance of the manslayer, who shall flee there, and shall live, whoever shall have struck his neighbour ignorantly, whereas he hated him not in times past.
Hii ndiyo kanuni kuhusu mtu amuuaye mwingine na kukimbilia humo kuokoa maisha yake, yaani, yeye amuuaye jirani yake bila kukusudia, wala hakumchukia kabla ya hapo.
5 And whoever shall enter with his neighbour into the thicket, to gather wood, if the hand of him that cuts wood with the axe should be violently shaken, and the axe head falling off from the handle should light on his neighbour, and he should die, he shall flee to one of these cities, and live.
Kwa mfano, mtu aweza kwenda msituni na jirani yake kukata miti, naye anapozungusha shoka kuangusha mti, shoka linaweza kuchomoka kutoka kwenye mpini na kumpiga jirani yake na kumuua. Yule mtu anaweza kukimbilia katika mmojawapo ya miji hii na kuokoa maisha yake.
6 Lest the avenger of blood pursue after the slayer, because his heart is hot, and overtake him, if the way be too long, and kill him, though there is to this man no sentence of death, because he hated him not in time past.
Kama sivyo, mlipiza kisasi cha damu anaweza kumfuatilia kwa hasira kali, naye akamkamata na kumuua kama umbali ni mrefu sana hata ingawa hastahili kifo, kwa sababu amemuua jirani yake bila kukusudia.
7 Therefore I charge you, saying, You shall separate for your self three cities.
Hii ndiyo sababu nimewaagiza ninyi kutenga miji mitatu ya makimbilio kwa ajili yenu.
8 And if the Lord shall enlarge your borders, as he sware to your fathers, and the Lord shall give to you all the land which he said he would give to your fathers;
Kama Bwana Mungu wenu akipanua nchi yenu, kama alivyoahidi kwa kiapo kwa baba zenu na kuwapa nchi yote aliyowaahidi,
9 if you shall listen to do all these commands, which I charge you this day, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways continually; you shall add for yourself yet three cities to these three.
kwa sababu mmefuata kwa uangalifu sheria zote ninazowaamuru leo, kumpenda Bwana Mungu wenu na kuenenda siku zote katika njia zake, ndipo mtenge miji mingine, mitatu zaidi.
10 So innocent blood shall not be spilt in the land, which the Lord your God gives you to inherit, and there shall not be in you one guilty of blood.
Fanyeni hivi ili damu isiyo na hatia isimwagwe katika nchi yenu, ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa kama urithi wenu, ili kwamba msije mkawa na hatia ya kumwaga damu.
11 But if there should be in you a man hating his neighbour, and he should lay wait for him, and rise up against him, and strike him, that he die, and he should flee to one of these cities,
Lakini kama mtu anamchukia ndugu yake, akamvizia, akamshambulia na kumuua, kisha akakimbilia katika mmojawapo ya miji hii,
12 then shall the elders of his city send, and take him thence, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the avengers of blood, and he shall die.
wazee wa mji wake watatuma ujumbe kwake, kumleta kutoka mji ule na kumkabidhi mlipiza kisasi cha damu kumuua.
13 Your eye shall not spare him; so shall you purge innocent blood from Israel, and it shall be well with you.
Msimwonee huruma. Lazima mwondoe katika Israeli hatia ya umwagaji damu isiyo na hatia ili kwamba mpate kufanikiwa.
14 You shall not move the landmarks of your neighbour, which your fathers set in the inheritance, in which you have obtained a share in the land, which the Lord your God gives you to inherit.
Usisogeze jiwe la mpaka wa jirani yako ambao uliwekwa na wale waliokutangulia katika urithi upokeao katika nchi Bwana Mungu wako anayowapa kuimiliki.
15 One witness shall not stand to testify against a man for any iniquity, or for any fault, or for any sin which he may commit; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, shall every word be established.
Shahidi mmoja hatoshi kumtia hatiani mtu kwa uhalifu au kosa lolote ambalo anaweza kuwa amelitenda. Lazima shauri lolote lithibitishwe kwa ushuhuda wa mashahidi wawili au watatu.
16 And if an unjust witness rise up against a man, alleging iniquity against him;
Kama shahidi mwenye nia ya kumdhuru mwingine akisimama kumshtaki mtu kwa uhalifu,
17 then shall the two men between whom the controversy is, stand before the Lord, and before the priests, and before the judges, who may be in those days.
watu wawili wanaohusika katika mabishano lazima wasimame mbele za Bwana na mbele ya makuhani na waamuzi ambao wako kazini wakati huo.
18 And the judges shall make diligent enquiry, and, behold, [if] and unjust witness has borne unjust testimony; [and] has stood up against his brother;
Waamuzi lazima wafanye uchunguzi kwa makini na shahidi akionekana kuwa ni mwongo, akitoa ushuhuda wa uongo dhidi ya ndugu yake,
19 then shall you do to him as he wickedly devised to do against his brother, and you shall remove the evil from yourselves.
basi mtende kama alivyotaka kumtendea ndugu yake. Ni lazima mwondoe uovu miongoni mwenu.
20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and do no more according to this evil thing in the midst of you.
Watu watakaosalia watasikia hili na kuogopa, uovu kama huo kamwe hautatendeka tena miongoni mwenu.
21 Your eye shall not spare him: [you shall exact] life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Msionyeshe huruma, uhai kwa uhai, jicho kwa jicho, jino kwa jino, mkono kwa mkono, mguu kwa mguu.
