Deuteronomy 17
1 “Do not sacrifice to Yahweh our God any cattle or sheep or goats that have any defects, because Yahweh hates that kind of gift.”
“Mègatsɔ nyitsu alo alẽ si le dɔ lém alo esi nane wɔ la sa vɔe na Yehowa, wò Mawu la gbeɖegbeɖe o. Yehowa, wò Mawu la bua nunana siawo abe ŋunyɔnu ene.
2 “When you are living in any of the towns [in the land] that Yahweh our God is giving to you, suppose you hear that there is some man or woman who sins by disobeying the agreement that Yahweh has made with you.
“Ne ame aɖe, ŋutsu alo nyɔnu, le du aɖe me le anyigba blibo la dzi da le wò nubabla si nèwɔ kple Yehowa wò Mawu dzi
3 Suppose someone tells you that that person has worshiped and served other gods, or the sun, or the moon, or the stars.
to mawu bubuwo, ɣe, ɣleti alo ɣletiviwo subɔsubɔ me, nu siwo ŋu mede se na mi le vevie la,
4 If you hear that some person has been doing that, you must investigate it thoroughly. If [you find out that] it is true that this detestable thing has happened in Israel,
ku nya la me tsitotsito gbã, ne nàkpɔ be ɖikeke aɖe le nya la ƒe nyateƒenyenye me hã.
5 you must take outside the town the man or woman who has done it. Then you must kill that person by throwing stones at him or her.
Ne nya la nye nyateƒe la, ekema woahe ŋutsu la alo nyɔnu la ayi dua godo, eye woaƒu kpee le afi ma wòaku.
6 But you are allowed to execute such people only if at least two witnesses testify that they saw them [doing that]. They must not be executed if there is only one witness.
Ke mègawu ame aɖeke le ɖasefo ɖeka pɛ ko ƒe ɖaseɖiɖi ta o. Ele be ɖasefoawo nade eve alo etɔ̃ kokoko.
7 The (witnesses/ones who saw them doing it) must be the first ones to throw stones at them. Then the other people [MTY] [should throw stones at them]. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.”
Na ɖasefoawo naƒu kpee gbã hafi ame bubuawo naƒui. To esia me la, àɖe nu vɔ̃wo katã ɖa le mia dome.”
8 “Sometimes it will be very difficult for a judge to decide what really happened. He might be trying to decide whether, when someone injured or killed another person, he did it accidentally or deliberately. Or he might be trying to decide if some person is suing another person unfairly. If in some town it is very difficult to know what really happened, with the result that the judge cannot decide it, you should go to the place that Yahweh our God has chosen for you [to worship him].
“Ne nya aɖe dzɔ si sesẽ akpa na wò dɔdrɔ̃, le kpɔɖeŋu me, ne wotsɔ hlɔ̃nya aɖe ɖe ame aɖe ŋu le esime ɖaseɖiɖi gobii aɖeke mele eŋu o, alo ne wote ame aɖe ɖe eme la, ekema ele be nàtsɔ nya la ayi Yehowa, wò Mawu la ƒe kɔkɔeƒe,
9 There you should present the case to the descendants of Levi who are the priests, and to the judge who is serving at that time, and they should decide what should be done.
na nunɔlawo kple Levitɔwo, eye ʋɔnudrɔ̃la si le nya drɔ̃m le ɣe ma ɣi la natso nya la me.
10 After they make their decision, you must do what they tell you to do.
Le eƒe nyametsotso megbe la, womagbugbɔ nya la adrɔ̃ o. Woawɔ ɖe se la dzi nyaɖenyanui.
11 Accept what they have decided, and do what they say that you should do. Do not try to change in any way what they have decided [IDM].
Ele be woawɔ ɖe ʋɔnudrɔ̃la la ƒe nyametsotso dzi pɛpɛpɛ.
12 You must execute anyone who proudly/arrogantly disobeys the judge or the priest who stands there in the presence of Yahweh [and decides what should be done]. By doing that, you will get rid of evil practices among you.
Ne ame si ŋu wotsɔ nya la ɖo gbe be yemaxɔ nunɔla la alo ʋɔnudrɔ̃la si Yehowa Mawu ɖo na nyadɔdrɔ̃ la ƒe nyametsotso o la, nu si woawɔe koe nye be woawui. Ele be woaɖe nu vɔ̃ wɔla siawo tɔgbi ɖa le Israelviwo dome.
13 Then [after that person is executed], all the people will hear about it, and they will be afraid, and none of them will act that way any more.”
Ekema ame sia ame ase nya si dzɔ ɖe ame si gbe be yemaxɔ Yehowa ƒe nyametsotso o la dzi. Nu sia ana woavɔ̃, eye womagatsi tsitre ɖe ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒe la ƒe nyametsotso ŋu o.”
14 “[I know that] after you have occupied the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you are living there, you will say, ‘We should have a king to rule over us, like the kings that other nations around us have.’
“Ne èva ɖo anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu, le na wò ge dzi, eye nèxɔe la, de asi tamebubu me be, ‘Ele be fia nanɔ mía si abe dukɔ bubu siwo ƒo xlã mí la ene!’
15 Yahweh our God will permit you to have a king, but be sure that you appoint someone whom he has chosen. That man must be an Israeli; you must not appoint someone who is a foreigner to be your king.
Kpɔ egbɔ be yeɖo ame si, Yehowa, wò Mawu la atia la fiae. Ele be wòanye Israelvi, menye amedzro o.
16 [After he becomes the king], he should not acquire a large number of horses for himself. He should not send people to Egypt to buy horses for him, because Yahweh said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt [for anything’]!
Kpɔ egbɔ be meƒle sɔ geɖewo na eɖokui o, eye medɔ eƒe amewo ɖe Egipte be woaƒle sɔwo tso afi ma vɛ na ye hã o, elabena Yehowa gblɔ na wò be, ‘Mègatrɔ yi Egipte gbeɖe o.’
17 And he must not have a lot of wives, because if he did that, they would turn him [SYN] away from [worshiping only] Yahweh. And he must not acquire a lot of silver and gold.
Mele be fia la naɖe srɔ̃ geɖe o; ne menye nenema o la, eƒe dzi atrɔ ɖa tso Yehowa gbɔ. Mele be wòakpɔ hotsui guduu hã o.
18 “When he becomes your king, he must [appoint someone to] copy these laws. He must copy them from the scroll that is kept by the priests who are descended from Levi.
“Ne woɖoe fiae, eye wònɔ eƒe fiazikpui dzi abe fia ene la, ekema ele be wòaŋlɔ se siawo katã tso agbalẽ si le Levitɔwo, ame siwo nye nunɔlawo la si me.
19 He must keep this new scroll near him and read from it every day of his life, in order that he may learn to revere Yahweh, and to faithfully obey [DOU] all the rules and regulations [that are written] in these laws.
Ele be eƒe seawo ƒe ŋɔŋlɔ sia nanɔ esi ɣe sia ɣi, eye wòaxlẽ nu tso eme gbe sia gbe le eƒe agbe me ale be, wòasrɔ̃ ale si wòavɔ̃ Yehowa, eƒe Mawu la to seawo katã dzi wɔwɔ me.
20 If he does that, he [SYN] will not think that he is (better/more important) than [IDM] his fellow Israelis, and he will completely obey [LIT] Yahweh’s commands. As a result, he and his descendants will rule as kings in Israel for many years.”
Se siawo xexlẽ ɣe sia ɣi ana be fia la mabu be yenyo wu Israelvi bubuawo o. Kpe ɖe esia ŋu la, axe mɔ nɛ be matrɔ tso Mawu ƒe seawo gbɔ le mɔ suetɔ kekeake nu o, eye wòana be eƒe fiaɖuɖu nadidi, eye wòadze edzi. Ekema via ŋutsuwo aɖu fia ɖe eyome.”
