Yosua 20
1 Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua be,
Then the Lord told Joshua,
2 “Gblɔ na Israelviwo be woatia sitsoƒeduwo, abe ale si meɖoe da ɖi to Mose dzi ene la azɔ.
“Tell the Israelites, ‘Assign sanctuary towns, as I instructed you through Moses.
3 Ne ame aɖe wu ame to nu maɖowɔ me la, ate ŋu asi ayi du siawo dometɔ ɖeka me, eye woaxɔ nɛ tso ame kukua ƒe ƒometɔwo, ame siwo adi be yewoabia hlɔ̃ awui la ƒe asi me.
Then any man who kills somebody by accident, unintentionally, can run there and they will be protected from those who wish to take revenge.
4 Ne amewula la ɖo du siawo dometɔ ɖeka me la, awɔ takpekpe kple du ma me tɔwo ƒe ametsitsiwo, agblɔ nu si dzɔ la na wo, ekema woaxɔe, ana teƒee wòanɔ le wo dome.
When he gets to one of these towns, he shall state his case to the elders at the town gates. They must allow him to enter, and they will also arrange a place for him to stay.
5 Ne ame kuku la ƒe ƒometɔ aɖe va be yeabia hlɔ̃e, awui la, womaɖe asi le amewula la ŋu nɛ o, elabena menye ɖe wòɖoe hafi wu amea o.
If the one seeking revenge comes looking for the man, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, because he killed someone unintentionally and without deliberate hatred.
6 Ele be amewula la nanɔ sitsoƒedu la me va se ɖe esime ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo nadrɔ̃ ʋɔnui, eye wòaganɔ afi ma va se ɖe esime nunɔlagã si nɔ dzi ɖum hafi nya sia dzɔ la naku. Ekema amewula la ate ŋu atrɔ ayi wo de azɔ.”
He shall remain in that town until he has received a public trial and a verdict has been given, and until the death of the high priest of the time. Then he is free to return to his home, back to the town from where he ran away.’”
7 Du siwo wotsɔ wɔ sitsoƒeduwoe lae nye Kedes le Galilea, le Naftali ƒe viwo ƒe tonyigba dzi, Sekem le Efraim ƒe viwo ƒe tonyigba dzi kple Kiriat Arba si wogayɔna be Hebron la, le Yuda ƒe tonyigba dzi.
So they assigned the following sanctuary towns: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (or Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.
8 Yehowa gaɖoe be woagatia du bubu etɔ̃ woazu sitsoƒeduwo le Yɔdan tɔsisi la ƒe ɣedzeƒe lɔƒo, le Yeriko ƒe akpa kemɛ. Sitsoƒedu siawoe nye Bezer le Ruben ƒe viwo ƒe anyigba dzi, Ramot le Gilead, le Gad ƒe viwo ƒe anyigba dzi kple Golan le Basan, le Manase ƒe viwo ƒe anyigba dzi.
On the other side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, they assigned: Bezer, in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 Sitsoƒedu siawo li na amedzro siwo le Israelviwo dome kple Israelviwo ŋutɔ siaa, ale be ame si meɖoe hafi wu nɔvia o la ate ŋu asi ayi teƒe ma, woadrɔ̃ ʋɔnui, eye womabia hlɔ̃e, awui o.
These were the assigned towns for all the Israelites, as well as for the foreigners living among them. Anyone who unintentionally killed someone could go there so they would not be killed by those who wished to take revenge before they had received a public trial and been given a guilty verdict.
