Joshua 20
1 And the Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying,
Ndipo Bwana akamwambia Yoshua,
2 speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge, whereof I have spoken unto you by the hand of Moses;
“Waambie Waisraeli, watenge miji mikubwa ya kukimbilia, kama nilivyokuagiza kupitia Mose,
3 That thither may flee the manslayer that killeth any person unawares, without knowledge; and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of the blood.
ili mtu yeyote atakayemuua mtu kwa bahati mbaya na pasipo kukusudia aweze kukimbilia huko na kujiepusha na mlipiza kisasi wa damu.
4 And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and he shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and speak in the ears of the elders of that city his words; and they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
“Anapokimbilia mojawapo ya hii miji mikubwa atasimama kwenye maingilio ya lango la mji mkuu na kueleza wazee wa mji kuhusu shauri lake. Kisha watampokea katika mji wao na kumpa mahali pa kuishi nao.
5 And if the avenger of the blood should pursue after him, then shall they not deliver the manslayer up into his hand; because without knowledge did he smite his neighbor, and he was not an enemy to him in time past.
Kama mlipiza kisasi wa damu akimfuatilia, wasimkabidhi yule mshtakiwa, kwa sababu alimuua jirani yake bila kukusudia, na bila kuwa na nia ya kudhuru.
6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he shall have stood before the congregation for judgment, [and] until the death of the high-priest that may be in those days: then shall the manslayer return, and come unto his own house, unto the city whence he hath fled.
Huyu aliyeua atakaa kwenye mji mkubwa huo mpaka awe amesimama kukabili mashtaka yake mbele ya kusanyiko na mpaka kuhani mkuu anayehudumu kwa wakati huo atakapokufa. Ndipo atakapoweza kurudi nyumbani kwake katika mji ambao aliukimbia.”
7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in the mountain of Naphtali, and Shechem in the mountain of Ephraim, and Kiryath-arba', which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
Basi wakatenga Kedeshi katika Galilaya kwenye nchi ya vilima ya Naftali, Shekemu katika nchi ya vilima ya Efraimu, na Kiriath-Arba (yaani Hebroni) kwenye nchi ya vilima ya Yuda.
8 And on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho eastward, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness in the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gil'ad from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Menasseh.
Katika upande wa mashariki mwa Yordani ya Yeriko wakatenga Bezeri katika jangwa katika uwanda wa juu katika kabila la Reubeni, Ramothi katika Gileadi katika kabila la Gadi, na Golani huko Bashani katika kabila la Manase.
9 These were the cities assigned for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that thither might flee whosoever killeth any person at unawares, and that he should not die by the hand of the avenger of the blood, until he have stood before the congregation.
Mwisraeli yeyote au mgeni yeyote aishiye miongoni mwao aliyemuua mtu kwa bahati mbaya, angeweza kukimbilia katika miji mikubwa hiyo iliyotengwa na asiuawe na mlipiza kisasi wa damu kabla hajasimama kukabili mashtaka mbele ya kusanyiko.
