Gũcookerithia 19
1 Rĩrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu agaakorwo aniinĩte ndũrĩrĩ iria ekũmũhe bũrũri wacio, na rĩrĩa na inyuĩ mũgaakorwo mũrĩkĩtie kũingata ndũrĩrĩ icio, na mũgaatũũra matũũra ma cio na nyũmba ciacio,
After Yahweh our God has gotten rid of the people-groups from the land that he is giving to you, and after you have expelled them from their cities and you start to live in their houses,
2 hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩmũkamũra matũũra matatũ marĩ handũ gatagatĩ ka bũrũri ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe mũwĩgwatĩre.
you must divide into three parts the land that he is giving to you. Then choose a city in each part. You must make good roads [in order that people can get to those cities easily]. Someone who kills another person can escape to one of those cities [to be safe/protected].
3 Mũgaathondeka barabara cierekeire matũũra macio, naguo bũrũri ũcio Jehova ekũmũhe ũtuĩke igai rĩanyu, mũwatũre icunjĩ ithatũ, nĩgeetha mũndũ o wothe ũngĩũraga mũndũ oragĩre kuo.
4 Ũyũ nĩguo watho ũkoniĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩũraga mũndũ ũngĩ na oorĩre kuo nĩguo ahonokie muoyo wake, nake nĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩũraga mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake ataciirĩire gwĩka ũndũ ũcio, na akorwo ndaamũthũire mbere ĩyo.
“This is the rule about someone who has killed another person. If someone (accidentally/without planning to) kills another person who was not his enemy, he may escape to one of those cities and be safe/protected there.
5 Ta rĩrĩa mũndũ angĩthiĩ mũtitũ marĩ na mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake makoine ngũ, na akĩhiũria ithanwa ateme mũtĩ-rĩ, ithanwa rĩrũke, rĩrũũge, rĩringe mũndũ ũcio wa itũũra rĩake, rĩmũũrage. Mũndũ ũcio no orĩre itũũra rĩmwe rĩa macio nĩguo ahonokie muoyo wake.
For example, if two men go into the forest to cut some wood, if the axe head comes off the handle while one of them is chopping down a tree and the axe head strikes and kills the other man, the man [who was using the axe] will be allowed to run to one of those cities and be safe there, [because the people of that city will protect him].
6 Angĩaga gwĩka ũguo-rĩ, mũrĩhanĩria wa thakame ahota gũthingatana nake arĩ na marakara amũnyiite, angĩkorwo itũũra rĩa kũũrĩrwo nĩrĩraihĩrĩirie mũno, amũũrage o na gũtuĩka ndagĩrĩire kũũragwo nĩ ũndũ ndaathũire mũndũ ũcio mbere ĩyo.
Because he accidentally killed someone, and because the man was not his enemy, he can try to run to one of those cities. If there were only one city, it may be a long distance to that city. Then if the relative of the man who was killed [MTY], the man who is supposed/expected to get revenge, is very angry, he may be able to catch the other person before he arrives at that city.
7 Kĩu nĩkĩo gĩtũmi kĩrĩa gĩatũma ndĩmwathe mwĩyamũrĩre matũũra manene matatũ ma kũũrĩrwo.
[To prevent that from happening], you must choose three cities, not only one, [in order that someone can get to one of those cities quickly].
8 Jehova Ngai wanyu angĩkongerera mĩhaka ya bũrũri wanyu o ta ũrĩa erĩire maithe manyu na mwĩhĩtwa, amũhe bũrũri wothe ũrĩa aamerĩire,
“If you do everything that I am today commanding you to do, and if you love Yahweh our God, and if you conduct your lives as he wants you to do, Yahweh our God will give you much more land than you will have when you first occupy it, which is what he promised to do. He will give you all the land which he promised your ancestors that he would give to you. When he gives you that land, you must select three more cities [to which people may escape].
9 nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩa mũgaakorwo mũmenyereire wega maathani maya ndĩramwatha ũmũthĩ, atĩ mwendage Jehova Ngai wanyu, na mũthiage na njĩra ciake hĩndĩ ciothe, hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩmũkamũra matũũra mangĩ matatũ ma kũũrĩrwo.
10 Mũgeeka ũguo nĩgeetha gũtikanaitwo thakame ya mũndũ ũtarĩ na ũũru bũrũri-inĩ wanyu, ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe ũtuĩke igai rĩanyu, na ningĩ nĩgeetha mũtikagĩe na mahĩtia ma gũita thakame.
Do this in order that people who (are innocent/have killed someone else without planning to) will not die, and you will not be guilty for [allowing] them to be executed, in the land that Yahweh is giving to you.
11 No mũndũ angĩkorwo athũire mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake, nake amuoherie njĩra-inĩ, amũtharĩkĩre amũũrage, acooke orĩre itũũra-inĩ rĩmwe rĩa macio-rĩ,
“But suppose someone hates his enemy and hides and waits for that person [to come along the road]. Then [when he passes by, suddenly] he attacks him and murders him. If the attacker flees to one of those cities [to be protected there],
12 athuuri a itũũra rĩake nĩmakamũtũmanĩra, arehwo kuuma kũu itũũra-inĩ, mamũneane kũrĩ mũrĩhanĩria wa thakame nĩguo ooragwo.
the elders of the city [where the murdered man lived must not protect the attacker. They]. must send someone to the city to which the other man escaped, and bring him to [MTY] the relative who is supposed/expected to get revenge, so that he may execute that man.
13 Mũtikanamũiguĩre tha. No nginya mũniine wĩhia wa ũiti wa thakame ĩtarĩ na ũũru bũrũri-inĩ wa Isiraeli, nĩgeetha maũndũ manyu magĩrĩre.
You must not pity those who murder other people! Instead, you must execute them, in order that the people in the land of Israel will not murder [MTY] innocent people, and in order that things will go well for you.”
14 Mũndũ ndakaneherie ihiga rĩa mũhaka rĩa mũndũ ũrĩa mariganĩtie, rĩrĩa rĩahaandirwo nĩ arĩa maarĩ mbere yanyu igai-inĩ rĩrĩa mũkaamũkĩra bũrũri-inĩ ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe mũwĩgwatĩre.
“[When you are living] in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, do not move the markers of your neighbors’ property boundaries which were placed there long ago.”
15 Mũira ũmwe ti mũiganu wa gũtũma mũndũ atuĩrwo nĩ ũndũ wa ngero kana wa ihĩtia rĩrĩa angĩkorwo ekĩte. No nginya ũhoro ũtuuo nĩ wa ma na ũndũ wa ũira wa andũ eerĩ kana atatũ.
“If someone is accused of committing a crime, one (witness/person who says, ‘I saw him do it’) is not enough. There must be at least two (witnesses/people who say, ‘We saw him do it’). [If there is only one witness], the judge must not believe that what he says is true.
16 Mũira ũrĩ na rũthũũro angĩrũgama gũthitangĩra mũndũ ngero,
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 andũ acio eerĩ magĩte na ngarari, no nginya marũgame harĩ Jehova, mbere ya athĩnjĩri-Ngai na aciirithania arĩa magaakorwo makĩruta wĩra ihinda-inĩ rĩu.
both of them must go to the place where the people worship, to [talk to] the priests and judges who are serving at that time.
18 Aciirithania acio no nginya matuĩrie ũhoro na kĩyo, na mũira ũcio angĩoneka nĩ wa maheeni, nĩaraigĩrĩra mũrũ wa ithe kĩgeenyo-rĩ,
The judges must (investigate the case carefully/try to find out which one is telling the truth). If [the judges determine that] one of them has accused the other falsely,
19 hĩndĩ ĩyo mũmwĩke o ta ũrĩa aciirĩire gwĩka mũrũ wa ithe. No nginya mũniine ũũru ũcio thĩinĩ wanyu.
that person must be punished in the same way that the other one would have been punished [if the judge decided that he (was guilty/had done what is wrong)]. By punishing such people, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.
20 Andũ arĩa angĩ nĩmakaigua ũhoro ũcio nao metigĩre, naguo ũndũ ũcio mũũru ndũgacooka gwĩkwo rĩngĩ thĩinĩ wanyu.
And/Because when that person is punished, everyone will hear what has happened, and they will be afraid, and no one will dare to act that way any more.
21 Mũtikanaigue tha; muoyo uumage muoyo, na riitho riumage riitho, na igego riumage igego, na guoko kuumage guoko, o na kũgũrũ kuumage kũgũrũ.
You must not pity people who are punished like that. The rule should be that a person who has murdered someone else must be executed; one of a person’s eyes must be gouged out if he has gouged out someone else’s eye, one tooth of a person who has knocked out the tooth of another person must be knocked out; one hand of a person who has cut off the hand of another person must likewise be cut off; one foot of a person who has cut off the foot of another person must also be cut off.”
