Deuteronomy 19
1 “Tukun LEUM GOD lowos el kunausla mwet ma la acn El ac asot nu suwos, ac tukun kowos eis siti selos ac lohm selos ac oakwuki we,
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 kowos fah srela tolu siti an ke facl se su LEUM GOD lowos El asot nu suwos.
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 Kowos fah srikeya facl sac, ac kitalik nu ke ip tolu — kais sie ip inge in oasr siti in molela se we ma ac firsrasr nu sin sie mwet in kaing nu we. Na fin sie mwet el uniya sie pacna mwet, el ac ku in kaing ac moulla we.
4 “Sie mwet fin ongla ouiya uniya sie mwet su tia mwet lokoalok lal, na el ku in kaing nu in sie sin siti inge ac moulla.
“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 Fin pa mwet luo tukeni som nu insak uh in pakpuk sak, na sie seltal paki sak soko, ac mutun tuhla ah tufwacla liki fung ah, ac uniya mwet se ngia, el ku in kasrusr nu in sie sin siti tolu an ac moulla.
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 Fin siti sefanna, ac ku in arulana loesla, pwanang mwet se ma suk in foloksak ke misa sac ac ku in sruokilya, ac in kasrkusrak lal el uniya sie mwet wangin mwata. Wangin mwatal mweyen el tia oru in ouiya, ac mwet sac tia pac mwet lokoalok lal.
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 Pa inge sripa se sis nga sapkin kowos in srela siti in molela tolu.
[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 “Pacl LEUM GOD lowos El ac akyokyelik facl suwos, oana ke El tuh fahk nu sin papa matu tomowos mu El ac oru, ac sot nu suwos acn nukewa El tuh wulela kac,
“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 na kowos fah sulela tolu pac siti an. (El ac sot nu suwos facl inge kowos fin oru ma nukewa ma nga sapkin nu suwos misenge, ac kowos fin lungse LEUM GOD lowos, ac moul fal nu ke mwe luti lal.)
10 Oru ma inge, tuh mwet su wangin mwata fah tia misa, ac in wangin pac mwatuwos ke sripen mwet se ma wangin mwata tiana anwuki in facl se ma LEUM GOD El sot nu suwos.
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 “Tusruktu, fin pa sie mwet el nuna oru elan akmuseya mwet lokoalok se lal, ac el kaing nu in sie siti ingo elan moulla.
“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 Ke lumah ouinge, na mwet kol lun siti sel sifacna ac fah sap in utuku el, ac eisalang nu inpoun mwet foloksak ke akmas, tuh elan anwuki.
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 Kowos fah tia pakomutal. Sisla mwet akmas se inge liki Israel tuh ma nukewa in wo nu suwos.
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 “Kowos in tia mokle masrol ke acn lun mwet tulan lowos, ma oakwuki in pacl oemeet me in facl se su LEUM GOD lowos El asot nu suwos.
“[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 “Mwet loh sefanna tia fal in akkeyala lah oasr mwatan sie mwet ke kutena ma koluk ku ma sutuu. Enenu na in oasr mwet loh luo, ku pus liki, in akpwayeye lah oasr mwatan mwet se.
“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 Sie mwet fin srike in akkolukye sie pac mwet ke el orek loh kikiap mu mwet sac orala ma koluk se,
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 eltal na kewa enenu in som nu ke acn in alu se ma solla, tuh in nununkeyuk eltal sin mwet tol ac mwet nununku su orekma in pacl sac.
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 Mwet nununku elos fah sokak akwoya lah mea sripen tukak sac. Mwet se ma tukak lain mwet Israel se wial fin sutuu,
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 el pa ac eis kaiyuk ma akoeyuk nu sin mwet tukakyak sac. In ouiya se inge kowos ac fah sisla ma koluk se inge liki inmasrlowos.
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 Na mwet nukewa fah lohng ke ma sikyak inge, ac elos ac fah sangengla ac wangin mwet ac fah sifil oru ouiya koluk se inge.
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 Kowos in tiana pakomuta. Kaiyuk nu ke ouiya sie inge pa: moul molin moul, atronmuta molin atronmuta, wihs molin wihs, pao molin pao, nia molin nia.
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.”
