Deteronòm 19
1 “Lè SENYÈ a, Bondye nou an, koupe retire nasyon yo, pou bannou tè pa yo a, pou nou deplase yo pou nou vin rete nan vil yo ak nan kay yo,
“When the Lord your God will have destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to you, and when you possess it and live in its cities and buildings,
2 “Nou va mete akote twa vil pou nou menm nan mitan peyi nou an, ke SENYÈ a, Bondye nou an, bannou pou posede a.
you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,
3 Nou va prepare wout pou nou menm, e divize an twa pati teritwa a peyi ke SENYÈ a va bannou kòm posesyon an, jis pou nenpòt moun ki touye moun kapab sove ale ladann.
paving the road carefully. And you shall divide the entire province of your land equally into three parts, so that he who is forced to flee because of manslaughter may have a place nearby to which he may be able to escape.
4 “Men sa se kondisyon ka a moun ki kapab sove ale rive la pou viv: Lè li vin touye zanmi li san entansyon eksprè, san ke li pa t rayi li avan——
This shall be the law of the killer who flees, whose life is to be saved. Whoever strikes down his neighbor unwillingly, and who has been proven to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before,
5 tankou lè yon nonm antre nan forè avèk zanmi li pou koupe bwa, epi men li voye rach la pou koupe bwa a, fè tèt fè a vin pati pou l frape zanmi li an, e li mouri—-li kapab sove ale nan youn nan vil sa yo pou viv.
such that he had gone with him into the forest simply to cut wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipped from his hand, or the iron slipped from the handle, and it struck his friend and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities stated above, and he shall live.
6 Otreman, vanjè san an ta petèt kouri dèyè sila ki touye moun nan, epi nan chalè kòlè li, rakontre l akoz distans lan twòp, e pran lavi li, malgre li pa t merite mouri, akoz ke li pa t rayi li avan.
Otherwise, perhaps the near relative of him whose blood was shed, impelled by his grief, might pursue and apprehend him, unless the way is too long, and he might strike down the life of him who is not guilty unto death, since he had demonstrated that he had no prior hatred against him who was slain.
7 Pou sa, mwen kòmande nou, e di: ‘Nou va mete apa twa vil pou nou menm.’
For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.
8 “Si SENYÈ, Bondye nou an, fè teritwa nou an vin pi gran, jan li te sèmante a zansèt nou yo pou bannou tout tè ke li te pwomèt pou bay zansèt nou yo;
And when the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he swore to your fathers, and when he will have given to you all the land that he has promised to them,
9 epi si nou fè atansyon pou swiv tout kòmandman sa ke mwen kòmande nou jodi a yo, pou renmen SENYÈ a, Bondye nou an, e mache nan vwa pa Li pou tout tan—-alò, nou va ogmante anplis twa vil ankò pou nou menm.
(but this is only so if you will keep his commandments and do the things which I instruct to you this day, so that you love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways at all times) you shall add for yourselves three other cities, and so you shall double the number of the three cities stated above.
10 Jis pou san inosan pa vèse nan mitan teritwa nou an, ke SENYÈ a bannou kòm eritaj la, e pou koupabilite san an pa vin rete sou nou.
So may innocent blood not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord your God will give you to possess, lest you be guilty of blood.
11 “Men si vin gen yon nonm ki rayi vwazen li, li kouche an kachèt pou li, li leve kont li pou frape li jiskaske li vin mouri, e li sove ale rive nan youn nan vil sa yo,
But if anyone, having hatred for his neighbor, will have lain in ambush for his life, and, rising up, will have struck him, and he will have died, and if he will have fled to one of the cities stated above,
12 alò, ansyen nan vil li yo va voye pran li soti la. Konsa, yo va livre li nan men vanjè san an, pou li kapab mouri.
the elders of his city shall send, and they shall take him from the place of refuge, and they shall deliver him into the hand of the relative of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.
13 Nou pa pou gen pitye pou li, men nou gen pou fè netwayaj san inosan an soti an Israël pou sa kapab ale byen pou nou.
You shall not take pity on him, and so shall you take away the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
14 “Nou pa pou deplase lizyè tè vwazen nou, ke zansèt yo te etabli kòm eritaj nou ke SENYÈ Bondye nou an, ap bannou pou posede.
You shall not take up or move the landmark of your neighbor, which those before you have placed, in your possession that the Lord your God will give to you, in the land you will receive to possess.
15 “Yon sèl temwen pa kapab leve kont yon moun sou koz nenpòt inikite oswa peche ke li te fè. Sou temwayaj a de oswa twa temwen, yo kapab konfime yon ka.
One witness shall not stand against another, no matter what the sin or outrage may be. For every word shall stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.
16 “Si yon temwen malveyan leve kont yon nonm pou akize li kòm malfektè,
If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,
17 alò, tou de moun ki gen dispit yo, va kanpe devan SENYÈ a, devan prèt avèk jij ki ofisye nan jou sa yo.
both of those whose case it is shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges who shall be in those days.
18 “Jij yo va fè ankèt konplè; epi si temwayaj la se yon fo temwayaj, e li te fè fo temwayaj kont frè l,
And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,
19 alò, nou va fè li menm bagay ke li t ap fè rive a frè li a. Konsa, nou va netwaye mechanste fèt pami pèp nou an.
they shall render to him just as he intended to do to his brother. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.
20 Lòt yo va tande, vin gen krentif, e yo p ap janm fè ankò yon bagay mechan konsa pami nou.
Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.
21 Konsa, zye nou p ap gen pitye: vi pou vi, zye pou zye, dan pou dan, men pou men, pye pou pye.
You shall not take pity on him. Instead, you shall require a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.”
