Deuteronomy 21
1 “When one is found slain, fallen in a field on the ground which your God YHWH is giving to you to possess it, [and] it is not known who has struck him,
“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 elderly and yours [of those] judging have gone out and measured to the cities which [are] around the slain one,
ekema ele be miaƒe ametsitsiwo kple ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo nadzidze didime si le teƒea kple du siwo te ɖe teƒea ŋu la dome.
3 and it has been, the city which [is] near to the slain one, even [the] elderly of that city have taken a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked with, which has not drawn in a yoke,
Mina du si te ɖe eŋu wu la ƒe ametsitsiwo natsɔ nyinɔe ɖeka si womede kɔkuti kɔ na kpɔ o la,
4 and [the] elderly of that city have brought down the heifer to a hard valley, which is not tilled nor sown, and have beheaded the heifer there in the valley.
ayi balime si tɔsisi aɖe to, eye womede agble ɖi kpɔ o. Woaŋe kɔ nyinɔe la le afi ma.
5 And the priests, sons of Levi, have come near—for your God YHWH has fixed on them to serve Him and to bless in the Name of YHWH, and by their mouth is every strife and every stroke—
“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] elderly of that city, who are near to the slain one, wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley,
nava klɔ asi ɖe nyinɔe la dzi,
7 and they have answered and said, Our hands have not shed this blood, and our eyes have not seen—
eye wòagblɔ be, ‘Menye míaƒe asiwoe kɔ ʋu sia ɖi o, eye míekpɔ hlɔ̃ sia dodo teƒe hã o.
8 receive atonement for Your people Israel, whom You have ransomed, O YHWH, and do not permit innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel; and the blood has been pardoned to them,
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 and you put away the innocent blood out of your midst, for you do that which [is] right in the eyes of YHWH.
Ale nàɖe fɔɖiɖi sia ɖa le mia dome to Yehowa ƒe sewo dzi wɔwɔ me.”
10 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and your God YHWH has given them into your hand, and you have taken captive its captivity,
“Ne èyi aʋa, eye Yehowa, wò Mawu la na nèɖu futɔwo dzi,
11 and have seen a woman of beautiful form in the captivity, and have delighted in her, and have taken [her] to yourself for a wife,
eye ne èkpɔ ɖetugbi dzetugbe aɖe le aʋaléleawo dome la,
12 then you have brought her into the midst of your household, and she has shaved her head, and prepared her nails,
kplɔe yi wò aƒe me. Ele be wòaƒlɔ ta, aɖe fe,
13 and turned aside the raiment of her captivity from off her, and has dwelt in your house, and lamented her father and her mother [for] a month of days, and afterward you go in to her and have married her, and she has been to you for a 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 And it has been, if you have not delighted in her, that you have sent her away at her desire, and surely you do not sell her for money; you do not tyrannize over her, because that you have humbled her.
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 When a man has two wives, one loved and the other hated, and they have borne sons to him (the loved one and the hated one), and the firstborn son has been to the hated one,
“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 it has been, in the day of his causing his sons to inherit that which he has, he is not able to declare firstborn the son of the loved one, in the face of the son of the hated one—the firstborn.
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 the firstborn, son of the hated one, he acknowledges, to give to him a double portion of all that is found with him, for he [is] the beginning of his strength; to him [is] the right of the firstborn.
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 When a man has a son apostatizing and being rebellious—he is not listening to the voice of his father and to the voice of his mother, and they have disciplined him, and he does not listen to them—
“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 his father and his mother have laid hold on him, and they have brought him out to [the] elderly of his city, and to the gate of his place,
ekema fofoa kple dadaa nakplɔe ayi dumemetsitsiawo gbɔ,
20 and have said to [the] elderly of his city, Our son—this one—is apostatizing and being rebellious; he is not listening to our voice—a glutton and drunkard.
agblɔ be, ‘Mía viŋutsu sia sẽa to, dzea aglã, eye mewɔa míaƒe gbe dzi o; gawu la, enye ame vlo kple ahanomunɔ.’
21 Then all the men of his city have stoned him with stones and he has died, and you have put away the evil out of your midst, and all Israel hears and fears.
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 And when there is a sin in a man [with] a judgment of death, and he has been put to death, and you have hanged him on a tree,
“Ne ame aɖe wɔ nu si dze na ku, eye wode ka ve nɛ la,
23 his corpse does not remain on the tree, for you certainly bury him in the day—for he who is hanged [becomes] a curse of God—and you do not defile your ground which your God YHWH is giving to you [for] an inheritance.”
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.”
