Mose 5 19
1 “Ne Yehowa, wò Mawu la tsrɔ̃ dukɔ siwo teƒe xɔ ge nàla, eye ne èle woƒe duwo kple aƒewo me la,
When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, those whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and when you come after them and live in their cities and houses,
2 ekema nàtia du etɔ̃ siwo le anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la le nàwom la titina lɔƒo la na ɖokuiwò.
you must select three cities for yourself in the middle of your land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.
3 Ɖe mɔwo ɖe wo dome, eye nàma anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la le nawòm abe wò domenyinu ene la ɖe akpa etɔ̃ me, ale be ne ame aɖe wu nɔvia la, wòasi ayi afi ma.
You must build a road and divide the borders of your land into three parts, the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, so that everyone who kills another person may flee there.
4 “Nu si ta wòle be du siawo nanɔ anyi ɖo la woe nye:
This is the law for the one who kills another and who flees there to live—anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, and did not previously hate him.
5 Ne ame aɖe kple nɔvia aɖe woyi nake fɔ ge le ave me, eye fia la dzo le esi, eye wòwu nɔvia la, amewula la asi ayi du mawo dometɔ ɖeka me, eye wòanɔ dedie.
For example, if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his chops with the ax to cut down a tree, and the ax head slips off of the handle and strikes his neighbor and kills him—then that man must flee to one of these cities and save his life.
6 Ne menye nenema o la, hlɔ̃biala la ati eyome kple dɔmedzoe, atui ne sitsoƒedu la gbɔ didi akpa, eye wòawui togbɔ be medze na ku hafi o, elabena menye ɖe wòɖoe hafi wu nɔvia o.
Otherwise the avenger of blood might go after the one who took a life, and in the heat of his anger overtake him, if the distance is too great, strike him and kill him, even though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past.
7 Nu sia ta meɖoe na wò be nàtia du etɔ̃ da ɖi na ɖokuiwò.
Therefore I command you to select three cities for yourself.
8 “Yehowa wò Mawu akeke wò anyigba la ƒe liƒowo ɖe edzi abe ale si wòdo ŋugbe na tɔgbuiwòwo ene, eye wòatsɔ anyigba blibo si ŋugbe wòdo la na wò.
If Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has sworn to your ancestors to do, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors;
9 Esia aku ɖe ale si nèwɔ eƒe se siwo katã mele dedem na wò egbe, be nàlɔ̃ Yehowa wò Mawu, eye nàzɔ ɖe eƒe ɖoɖowo nu la dzi. Ne esia va eme la, ele be nàgawɔ du bubu etɔ̃ Sitsoƒeduwoe.
if you keep all these commandments to do them, which I am commanding you today—commandments to love Yahweh your God and to always walk in his ways, then you must add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.
10 Ale nàte ŋu axɔ ame maɖifɔwo ɖe agbe le anyigba si Yehowa wò Mawu tsɔ na wò la dzi, eye ʋukɔkɔɖi dzodzro ƒe agba manɔ dziwò o.
Do this so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of the land that Yahweh your God is giving you for as an inheritance, so that no bloodguilt may be on you.
11 “Ke ne ame aɖe lé fu nɔvia, de xa ɖi nɛ hewui, eye wòsi yi sitsoƒedu siawo dometɔ ɖeka me la,
But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and mortally wounds him so that he dies, and if he then flees into one of these cities—
12 eƒe dumemetsitsiwo aɖo du ɖee, ana woakplɔe ava aƒee, eye woatsɔe ade asi na ame kuku la ƒe hlɔ̃biala be wòawui.
then the elders of his city must send and bring him back from there, and turn him over into the hand of the responsible relative, so that he may die.
13 Mègakpɔ nublanui nɛ o! Ɖe hlɔ̃dolawo katã ɖa le Israelviwo dome! Eya ko hafi nu sia nu ayi edzi nyuie na mi.
Your eye must not pity him; instead, you must eradicate the bloodguilt from Israel, that it may go well with you.
14 “Ne èva ɖo anyigba si Yehowa, wò Mawu la le na wò ge la dzi la, ɖo ŋku edzi be, mèkpɔ mɔ aho ame aɖeke ƒe liƒotiwo agbugbɔ wo atu ale be nàfi eƒe anyigba gbeɖegbeɖe o.”
You must not remove your neighbor's landmark that they set in place a long time ago, in your inheritance that you will inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.
15 “Mègabu fɔ ame aɖeke le ɖasefo ɖeka ko ƒe ɖaseɖiɖi ta o. Ele be ɖasefoawo nade eve godoo; anyo wu ne woade etɔ̃.
One sole witness must not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any matter that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, must any matter be confirmed.
16 Ne ame aɖe ɖi aʋatsoɖase hegblɔ be yekpɔ ame aɖe wòwɔ nu vɔ̃ esime amea mewɔ nu vɔ̃ la o la,
Suppose that an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing.
17 na woakplɔ ame eveawo ayi nunɔlawo kple ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo gbɔ le Yehowa ŋkume.
Then both men, the ones between whom the controversy exists, must stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.
18 Woabia gbe wo tsitotsito, eye ne wokpɔ be ɖasefo la ka aʋatso la,
The judges must make diligent inquiries; see, if the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother,
19 woahe to si wòbu be woahe na ame kemɛ la hafi la na eya ŋutɔ boŋ. To mɔ sia dzi, eye nàɖe nu vɔ̃ wɔwɔ ɖa le mia dome.
then must you do to him, as he had wished to do to his brother; and you will remove the evil from among you.
20 “Ekema ame siwo asee la avɔ̃ na aʋatsoɖaseɖiɖi.
Then those who remain will hear and fear, and will from then on commit no longer any such evil among you.
21 Mègakpɔ nublanui na aʋatsoɖasefo aɖeke o. Le nya sia tɔgbiwo me la, se si dzi nàkpɔe nye: agbe ɖe agbe teƒe, ŋku ɖe ŋku teƒe, aɖu ɖe aɖu teƒe, asi ɖe asi teƒe, afɔ ɖe afɔ teƒe.”
Your eyes must not pity; life will pay for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
