Deuteronomy 19

1 “When the Lord your God will have destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to you, and when you possess it and live in its cities and buildings,

Sɛ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn sɛe aman a ɔde wɔn nsase rema mo na sɛ mopam wɔn na motena wɔn nkuro no mu ne wɔn afie mu a,

2 you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,

monyi nkuropɔn mmiɛnsa a ɛwɔ asase no mfimfini a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo afa no.

3 paving the road carefully. And you shall divide the entire province of your land equally into three parts, so that he who is forced to flee because of manslaughter may have a place nearby to which he may be able to escape.

Monyiyi akwan nkɔ hɔ na monkyɛ asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ no mu mmiɛnsa sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, sɛ obi kum obi a, ɔbɛdwane akɔ hɔ.

4 This shall be the law of the killer who flees, whose life is to be saved. Whoever strikes down his neighbor unwillingly, and who has been proven to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before,

Sɛ obi anhyɛ da na ɔkum obi a ɔnni ne ho menasepɔ anaa ɔntan no dada a, onipakumfoɔ no tumi dwane kɔ saa nkuropɔn yi biara so de gye ne ho nkwa.

5 such that he had gone with him into the forest simply to cut wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipped from his hand, or the iron slipped from the handle, and it struck his friend and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities stated above, and he shall live.

Sɛ ebia, obi ne ne yɔnko bi kɔ wiram rekɔbu nnua na sɛ ɛba sɛ ɔbaako de abonnua rebu dua bi na sɛ abonnua no hɔn firi ne dua mu kumm ne yɔnko no a, saa asɛm yi mu no, onipakumfoɔ no tumi dwane kɔ nkuropɔn no baako so de gye ne ho nkwa.

6 Otherwise, perhaps the near relative of him whose blood was shed, impelled by his grief, might pursue and apprehend him, unless the way is too long, and he might strike down the life of him who is not guilty unto death, since he had demonstrated that he had no prior hatred against him who was slain.

Sɛ dwanekɔbea biara mmɛn hɔ a, ɔtaafoɔ bi bɛtumi ataa onipakumfoɔ no akum no. Sɛ ɛba saa a, ɛkyerɛ sɛ, wɔakum onipakumfoɔ no wɔ ɛberɛ a wanhyɛ da akum obi. Wankum onipa, na mmom deɛ ɔyɛeɛ yɛ asiane.

7 For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.

Ne saa enti na merehyɛ mo sɛ monyi nkuropɔn mmiɛnsa nsi nkyɛn no.

8 And when the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he swore to your fathers, and when he will have given to you all the land that he has promised to them,

Sɛ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn trɛ mo ɔman mu sɛdeɛ ɔkaa ho ntam kyerɛɛ mo agyanom na ɔde asase no nyinaa ma mo sɛdeɛ ɔhyɛɛ wɔn ho bɔ no a,

9 (but this is only so if you will keep his commandments and do the things which I instruct to you this day, so that you love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways at all times) you shall add for yourselves three other cities, and so you shall double the number of the three cities stated above.

ɛsɛ sɛ moyi nkuropɔn mmiɛnsa si nkyɛn. Sɛ moto mo bo ase di mmara a mehyɛɛ mo no so ɛnnɛ yi sɛ monnɔ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn na monnante nʼakwan so a, ɛnneɛ, ɔde asase no bɛma mo.

10 So may innocent blood not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord your God will give you to possess, lest you be guilty of blood.

Monyɛ yei, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, wɔnhwie mogya a ɛnni fɔ no ngu wɔ mo asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ mo agyapadeɛ no so, na moanni mogyahwieguo no ho fɔ.

11 But if anyone, having hatred for his neighbor, will have lain in ambush for his life, and, rising up, will have struck him, and he will have died, and if he will have fled to one of the cities stated above,

Sɛ obi tan obi enti ɔhyɛ da kɔtɛ no kumm no na ɔdwane kɔ nkuropɔn no bi so kɔtɛ a,

12 the elders of his city shall send, and they shall take him from the place of refuge, and they shall deliver him into the hand of the relative of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

ɛsɛ sɛ mpanimfoɔ a wɔwɔ ne kuro no mu hɔ no soma ma wɔkɔpɛ no ma wɔsane de no ba kuropɔn no mu ma owufoɔ no nkurɔfoɔ nso kum no bi.

13 You shall not take pity on him, and so shall you take away the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Mommma onipakumfoɔ no asɛm nha mo. Monyi wɔn a wɔdi awudie ho fɔ wɔ Israel nyinaa mmra, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, biribiara bɛkɔ yie ama mo.

14 You shall not take up or move the landmark of your neighbor, which those before you have placed, in your possession that the Lord your God will give to you, in the land you will receive to possess.

Sɛ moduru asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ sononko no so a, monntutu ɛhyeɛ a mo agyanom atoto ngu mmfa so nwia obi asase.

15 One witness shall not stand against another, no matter what the sin or outrage may be. For every word shall stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

Mommmu obi a ɔdanseni baako abɛdi atia no no fɔ. Soboɔ bɛdi mu ɛberɛ a nnipa baanu anaa baasa abɛdi adanseɛ.

16 If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,

Sɛ atorɔ danseni bi ba bɛbɔ obi amumuyɛ bi ho kwaadu a,

17 both of those whose case it is shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges who shall be in those days.

ɛnneɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ kwaadubɔni no ne onipa a wabɔ no kwaadu no nyinaa ba asɔfoɔ ne atemmufoɔ a wɔreyɛ Awurade adwuma no anim.

18 And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,

Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔto wɔn bo bisa nnipa no nsɛm mu yie. Na sɛ wɔhunu sɛ kwaadubɔni no retwa atorɔ a,

19 they shall render to him just as he intended to do to his brother. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.

wɔde asotwe a anka ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde ma onipa a wɔabɔ no kwaadu no bɛma no. Sɛ mofa saa ɛkwan yi so a, mobɛtu amumuyɛsɛm nyinaa afiri mo mu.

20 Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.

Wɔn a wɔbɛte no bɛsuro sɛ wɔbɛyɛ saa bɔne no bi.

21 You shall not take pity on him. Instead, you shall require a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.”

Monnhunu obiara mmɔbɔ! Mo mmara a ɛsɛ sɛ modi so no yɛ nkwa nsi nkwa ananmu, ani nsi ani ananmu, ɛse nsi ɛse ananmu, nsa nsi nsa ananmu, ɛnan nsi ɛnan ananmu.