Mose 5 21
1 “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,
Someone may be found murdered, lying in a field in the country that the Lord your God is giving you to own, and nobody knows who killed them.
2 ekema ele be miaƒe ametsitsiwo kple ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo nadzidze didime si le teƒea kple du siwo te ɖe teƒea ŋu la dome.
Your elders and judges must come and measure the distance from the body to the surrounding towns.
3 Mina du si te ɖe eŋu wu la ƒe ametsitsiwo natsɔ nyinɔe ɖeka si womede kɔkuti kɔ na kpɔ o la,
Then the elders of the town that's found to be nearest to the body shall take a cow that has never been put under a yoke or used for work.
4 ayi balime si tɔsisi aɖe to, eye womede agble ɖi kpɔ o. Woaŋe kɔ nyinɔe la le afi ma.
Take the cow to a valley that has a stream running through it and whose ground has never been plowed or sown. Break the cow's neck there beside the stream.
5 “Nunɔlawo, ame siwo Yehowa, wò Mawu la tia be woawɔ dɔ le yeƒe ŋkume, ayra amewo, adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu, eye woahe to na amewo la
The Levitical priests must be there too, because the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to give blessings in his name, and to decide on legal disputes and cases of assault.
6 nava klɔ asi ɖe nyinɔe la dzi,
Then all the elders of the town nearest the body are to wash their hands in the stream over the dead cow, saying,
7 eye wòagblɔ be, ‘Menye míaƒe asiwoe kɔ ʋu sia ɖi o, eye míekpɔ hlɔ̃ sia dodo teƒe hã o.
“We had nothing to do with this murder, and we didn't see who did it.
8 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.’
Lord, please forgive your people Israel who you rescued, and do not hold them guilty of shedding of innocent blood In this way the guilt for shedding blood will be forgiven.”
9 Ale nàɖe fɔɖiɖi sia ɖa le mia dome to Yehowa ƒe sewo dzi wɔwɔ me.”
This is how you are to remove from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the Lord's sight.
10 “Ne èyi aʋa, eye Yehowa, wò Mawu la na nèɖu futɔwo dzi,
When you go to war with your enemies and the Lord your God hands them over to you in defeat, and you capture them,
11 eye ne èkpɔ ɖetugbi dzetugbe aɖe le aʋaléleawo dome la,
you may see that one of them is a beautiful woman who you like and want to marry.
12 kplɔe yi wò aƒe me. Ele be wòaƒlɔ ta, aɖe fe,
Take her home and have her shave her head, cut her nails,
13 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.
and get rid of the clothes she was wearing when she was captured. After she has lived in your home and has finished her month of mourning for her father and mother, you may sleep with her and marry her, and she shall be your wife.
14 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.”
However, if you are not happy with her, you must let her leave and go wherever she wants. You are not allowed to sell her for money or treat her like a slave, because you have brought shame on her.
15 “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,
If a man has two wives, one he loves and one he doesn't, and both have sons by him, but the firstborn son is from the wife he doesn't love,
16 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.
when the time comes for the man to decide what each son will inherit from him, he must not prefer the son of wife he loves and treat him as the firstborn instead of the son of the wife he doesn't love.
17 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.”
No. He is to recognize the firstborn, the son of the wife he doesn't love through the usual custom of giving him a double portion of all that he owns. The firstborn son is the firstfruits of his father's strength, and so the rights of the firstborn are his.
18 “Ne viŋutsu sẽto, dzeaglã aɖe le ŋutsu aɖe si, meɖoa to fofoa kple dadaa o, togbɔ be wohea to nɛ hafi hã la,
If someone has a obstinate and rebellious son who doesn't obey his parents and doesn't obey them even when he's punished,
19 ekema fofoa kple dadaa nakplɔe ayi dumemetsitsiawo gbɔ,
his parents must take him to the town elders, to the court in his hometown,
20 agblɔ be, ‘Mía viŋutsu sia sẽa to, dzea aglã, eye mewɔa míaƒe gbe dzi o; gawu la, enye ame vlo kple ahanomunɔ.’
and tell them, “Our son is obstinate and rebellious, He doesn't obey us. He's a worthless drunk!”
21 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.
Then all the men of his home town will stone him to death. You must eliminate the evil from among you, and every Israelite will hear about it and be afraid.
22 “Ne ame aɖe wɔ nu si dze na ku, eye wode ka ve nɛ la,
If someone commits a crime punishable by death, and the person is executed by hanging on a tree,
23 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.”
don't leave the body hanging there overnight. Make sure you bury the body the same day, because anyone who is hung is under God's curse. Don't defile the country that the Lord your God is giving you to own.
