Deuteronomy 21
1 “Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
Sɛ wɔhunu sɛ wɔakum obi da afuom wɔ asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo no so, na sɛ monnim owudifoɔ no a,
2 [If that happens], your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
mo ntuanofoɔ ne atemmufoɔ bɛkɔ akɔsusu ɛkwan a ɛda deɛ owufoɔ no da hɔ ne kuro a ɛbɛn no ntam.
3 Then the elders in the town that is closest to where the corpse was found must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
Afei, mpanimfoɔ a wɔwɔ kuro a ɛbɛn owufoɔ no pɛɛ no mfa nantwie ba a ɔnyɛɛ adwuma da na ɔntwee funtumfidie da,
4 They must take it to a place near a stream where the ground has never been plowed or planted. They must break its neck there in that valley.
na wɔnni nʼanim mfa no nkɔ subɔnhwa a wɔmfuntum anaa wɔnnuaa hwee wɔ hɔ da na nsuo resene wɔ mu mu. Subɔnhwa no mu na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbu nantwie ba no kɔn mu.
5 The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.
Lewifoɔ asɔfoɔ bɛba hɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, ayi wɔn sɛ wɔnka asɛm na wɔnhyira wɔ Awurade din mu. Na wɔn na wɔsi asɛnnie ne asotwe so dua.
6 The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
Kuro a ɛbɛn efunu no mu mpanimfoɔ no, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔhohoro wɔn nsa gu nantwie ba a wɔbuu ne kɔn mu no so.
7 and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
Na afei wɔbɛka sɛ, “Ɛnyɛ yɛn nsa na yɛhwiee mogya yi guiɛ na yɛanhunu nso.
8 Yahweh, forgive us, your Israeli people whom you rescued [from Egypt]. Do not consider (us to be guilty/that we should be punished because) of murdering someone who (is innocent/had not done something that is wrong). Instead, forgive us.’
Ao, Awurade, fa kyɛ wo ɔman Israel a wogyee wɔn no. Mfa mogya a ɛdi bem yi ho so nto wo nnipa Israel so.” Wɔwie yei a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ, wɔayi ɛso a ɛda wɔn so no afiri wɔn so.
9 By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.”
Sɛ wɔdi saa nkyerɛkyerɛ yi so na wɔyɛ deɛ ɛtene wɔ Awurade ani so a, na moayi awudie no ho afɔbuo afiri mo atenaeɛ hɔ.
10 “When you [soldiers] go to fight against your enemies, and Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them [IDM], and (they become your prisoners/you capture them),
Sɛ mokɔ ɔko tia mo atamfoɔ na Awurade mo Onyankopɔn dane wɔn hyɛ mo nsa na mofa wɔn nnomum,
11 one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
na sɛ wɔn mu no, mohunu ɔbaa ɔhoɔfɛfoɔ bi a mopɛ sɛ mofa no sɛ ɔyere a, motumi ware no.
12 He should take her to his home, and there she must shave [all the hair off] her head and cut her fingernails [to signify that now she does not belong to her people-group any more, but instead she is becoming an Israeli].
Momfa no mmra mo fie na monyi ne ti, ntwitwa ne mmɔwerɛ,
13 She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, [and put on Israeli clothes]. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of [leaving] her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
na monyi ntadeɛ a na ɛhyɛ no wɔ ɛberɛ a mokyeree no no ngu hɔ. Na watena mo fie asu nʼagya ne ne maame bosome akyi no, motumi kɔ ne ho ma ɔyɛ ɔyere.
14 Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was forced to have sex with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave [and sell her to someone else].”
Sɛ mo ani nnye ne ho a, momma no nkɔ baabiara a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔkɔ. Monntɔn no na monnyɛ no sɛ afenaa, ɛfiri sɛ, moagu nʼanim ase.
15 “Suppose that a man has two wives, but he likes one of them and dislikes the other one. And suppose that they both give birth to sons, and the oldest son is the child of the woman that he does not like.
Sɛ ɔbarima wɔ yerenom baanu na ɔdɔ ɔbaako kyɛn deɛ ɔka ho no, na wɔn baanu no nyinaa, wɔn mu biara ne no wɔ ɔbabarima nanso nʼabakan no yɛ ɔyere a ɔmpɛ nʼasɛm no babarima,
16 On the day when that man decides how he will divide his possessions for his sons to possess [after he dies], he must not favor the son of the wife that he loves by giving him [a bigger share, ] the share that the older son should receive.
na sɛ ɔhyɛ nsamanseɛ de ma ne mmammarima a, ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔde kyɛfa kɛseɛ no ma ɔbabarima kumaa a ɔyɛ ne yere a ɔdɔ no no babarima.
17 He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.”
Ɔbɛfa ne babarima a ɔyɛ ɔyere a ɔmpɛ nʼasɛm no sɛ nʼabakan no, na wanam so ama no nʼagyapadeɛ no mmɔho mmienu. Saa ɔbabarima no yɛ nʼagya no ahoɔden nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ a ɛdi ɛkan. Ɛno enti, abakan kyɛfa yɛ ne dea.
18 “Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always (rebelling against/disobeying) [his parents], and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him [MTY].
Sɛ ɔbarima bi wɔ ɔbabarima a ɔyɛ asoɔden ne otuatefoɔ a ɔntie nʼagya ne ne maame asɛm a nso wɔtene ne so a,
19 If that happens, his parents must take him to the (gate of/central meeting place in) the city where he lives and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ ɛba ara ne sɛ, agya no ne maame no de wɔn babarima no bɛkɔ mpanimfoɔ a wɔhwɛ kuro no so no anim.
20 Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him [MTY]. He wastes a lot of money (OR, eats too much food) and gets drunk.’
Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔpae mu ka sɛ, “Yɛn babarima yi yɛ asoɔden ne otuatefoɔ a ɔntie yɛn asɛm. Ɔyɛ onipa teta kɔwensani.”
21 Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you. And everyone in Israel will hear [about what happened] and they will be afraid [to do what he did].”
Ɛba saa a, ɛsɛ sɛ mmarima a wɔwɔ kuro no mu nyinaa si no aboɔ kum no. Ne saa no, monam so bɛpamo saa bɔne a aba mo mu no, na Israel nyinaa bɛte, na abɔ wɔn hu.
22 “If someone is executed for having committed a crime for which he deserves to die, and you hang his corpse on a post,
Sɛ obi yɛ amumuyɛsɛm bi a ɛfata owuo na enti wɔkum no na wɔde no sɛn dua so a,
23 you must not allow his corpse to remain there all night. You must bury it on the day that he died, because [God] has cursed anyone whose corpse is allowed to remain on a post. [You must bury the corpse that day], in order that you do not defile the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”
ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔsɛne dua no so ma adeɛ kye so. Ɛsɛ sɛ ɛda no ara, wɔsie amu no, ɛfiri sɛ, obiara a wɔsɛn no dua so saa no yɛ Onyankopɔn nnome. Monngu asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ sononko no ho fi.
