Joshua 20

1 Mgbe ahụ, Onyenwe anyị gwara Joshua okwu sị ya,

And the Lord said to Joshua,

2 “Gwa ụmụ Izrel okwu sị ha họpụtara onwe unu obodo mgbaba dịka m gwara unu site nʼaka Mosis.

Say to the children of Israel, Let certain towns be marked out as safe places, as I said to you by the mouth of Moses,

3 Ka obodo ndị a bụrụ ebe onye gburu mmadụ nʼọghọm na-amaghị ama ga-agbaga nʼihi izere ndụ ya site nʼaka onye ahụ ga-achọ ịbọrọ ọbọ ọchụ.

So that any man who in error and without design has taken the life of another, may go in flight to them: and they will be safe places for you from him who has the right of punishment for blood.

4 Mgbe onye gburu mmadụ ahụ na-amaghị ama gbabara nʼime otu obodo ndị a, ọ ga-eguzo nʼọnụ ụzọ ama obodo ahụ gwa ndị okenye obodo ahụ ihe niile mere. Ndị okenye ahụ ga-akpọbata ya nʼime obodo ahụ, nye ya ebe ọ ga-ebi nʼetiti ha.

And if anyone goes in flight to one of those towns, and comes into the public place of the town, and puts his cause before the responsible men of the town, they will take him into the town and give him a place among them where he may be safe.

5 Ọ bụrụkwa na onye ikwu onye ahụ nwụrụ anwụ abịa ịbọrọ ọbọ ọchụ ahụ, ndị okenye obodo ahụ agaghị ekwe ka e gbuo onye ahụ gburu mmadụ na-amaghị ama, nʼihi na onye ahụ akpachaghị anya mee ihe o mere.

And if the one who has the right of punishment comes after him, they are not to give the taker of life up to him; because he was the cause of his neighbour's death without designing it and not in hate.

6 Onye ahụ gburu mmadụ na-amaghị ama ga-anọgide nʼobodo ahụ ruo mgbe ọ ga-akwụrụ nʼihu nzukọ maka ikpe ruokwa mgbe onyeisi nchụaja nọ nʼoge ahụ nwụrụ. Mgbe ahụ, o nwere ike laghachi nʼụlọ nke aka ya na nʼobodo ya bụ ebe o si gbapụ ọsọ.”

And he is to go on living in that town till he has to come before the meeting of the people to be judged; (till the death of him who is high priest at that time: ) then the taker of life may come back to his town and to his house, to the town from which he had gone in flight.

7 Obodo ndị ha kewapụtara iche dịka obodo mgbaba bụ, Kedesh, nke dị nʼime Galili, nʼala ugwu ugwu ndị Naftalị; na Shekem, nke dị nʼala ugwu ugwu Ifrem na Kiriat Aba, nke a na-akpọkwa Hebrọn. Ọ dị nʼala ugwu ugwu Juda.

So they made selection of Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (which is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah.

8 Ha kewapụtara obodo atọ ọzọ nʼihi otu ihe ahụ, nʼakụkụ ọwụwa anyanwụ osimiri Jọdan nʼofe Jeriko. Obodo atọ ndị a bụ, Beza, nke dị nʼọzara, nʼala larịị ahụ e nyere ebo Ruben, na Ramọt; nke dị nʼime Gilead bụ ala ebo Gad; na Golan, nʼime Bashan, nke e si nʼala ebo Manase wepụta.

And on the east side of Jordan at Jericho, they made selection of Bezer in the waste land, in the table-land, out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

9 Obodo mgbaba ndị a a họpụtara bụ maka ndị ọbịa bi nʼetiti ụmụ Izrel, na maka ụmụ Izrel. Ọ bụ ebe onye ọbụla gburu mmadụ na-amaghị ama ga-agbaga. Onye na-abọrọ ọbọ ọchụ agaghị egbukwa onye ahụ tupu e kpee ya ikpe nʼọgbakọ ndị Izrel.

These were the towns marked out for all the children of Israel and for the man from a strange country living among them, so that anyone causing the death of another in error, might go in flight there, and not be put to death by him who has the right of punishment for blood till he had come before the meeting of the people.