Yosua 20

1 Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua be,

And the Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying,

2 “Gblɔ na Israelviwo be woatia sitsoƒeduwo, abe ale si meɖoe da ɖi to Mose dzi ene la azɔ.

speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge, whereof I have spoken unto you by the hand of 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.

That thither may flee the manslayer that killeth any person unawares, without knowledge; and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of the blood.

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.

And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and he shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and speak in the ears of the elders of that city his words; and they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

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.

And if the avenger of the blood should pursue after him, then shall they not deliver the manslayer up into his hand; because without knowledge did he smite his neighbor, and he was not an enemy to him in time past.

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.”

And he shall dwell in that city, until he shall have stood before the congregation for judgment, [and] until the death of the high-priest that may be in those days: then shall the manslayer return, and come unto his own house, unto the city whence he hath fled.

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.

And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in the mountain of Naphtali, and Shechem in the mountain of Ephraim, and Kiryath-arba', which is Hebron, in the mountain 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.

And on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho eastward, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness in the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gil'ad from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Menasseh.

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 cities assigned for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that thither might flee whosoever killeth any person at unawares, and that he should not die by the hand of the avenger of the blood, until he have stood before the congregation.