Deteronomi 19

1 Tango Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akobebisa bikolo oyo Ye akopesa bino mokili na bango, tango bokobengana bango mpe bokovanda na bamboka mpe na bandako na bango;

“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 bokotia pembeni mpo na bino, bingumba misato oyo ezali na kati-kati ya mokili oyo Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akopesa bino mpo na kozwa.

you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,

3 Bokosala kuna banzela mpe bokokabola na biteni misato, mokili oyo Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akopesa bino lokola libula mpo ete moto nyonso oyo akoboma moto akoka kokima kuna.

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 Tala makambo oyo ekoki kosala ete moto oyo abomi moninga na ye akoka kokima kuna mpo na kobikisa bomoi na ye: ezali tango abomi moninga na ye na nko te, moto oyo ayinaki te liboso.

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 Ndakisa: moto oyo akei na zamba elongo na moninga na ye mpo na kokata banzete; bongo na tango atomboli loboko na ye mpo na kokata nzete, ebende ya epasola elongwe na esimbelo na yango, ekweyeli moninga wana mpe ebomi ye: moto wana akoki kokima kati na moko ya bingumba wana mpo na kobikisa bomoi na ye.

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 Soki bongo te, mobukanisi makila akolanda ye na kanda, akokanga ye mpe akoboma ye soki engumba ya kokimela ezali mosika mingi. Nzokande asengelaki kokufa te, pamba te ayinaki te liboso moto oyo asilaki koboma.

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 Yango wana, napesi bino mitindo ete botia pembeni bingumba misato mpo na bino.

For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.

8 Soki Yawe, Nzambe na bino, ayeisi monene mokili na bino ndenge alakaki epai na bakoko na bino na nzela ya ndayi mpe apesi bino mokili mobimba ndenge alakaki bango,

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 mpo ete bosili kotosa mibeko nyonso oyo napesi bino lelo, mibeko ya kolinga Yawe, Nzambe na bino, mpe ya kotambola na banzela na Ye, wana bokobakisa lisusu bingumba misato na bingumba misato ya liboso.

(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 Bosala bongo mpo ete makila ya moto oyo ayebi likambo te esopana te kati na mokili na bino oyo Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akopesa bino lokola libula, soki te bokomema ngambo ya makila.

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 Kasi soki moto ayini moninga na ye mpe atieli ye motambo, abundisi ye mpe abomi ye na nko, bongo akimi kati na moko ya bingumba wana,

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 bampaka ya engumba na ye bakolukisa ye, bakozongisa ye na engumba na ye mpe bakotika ye na maboko ya mobukanisi makila mpo ete aboma ye.

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 Boyokela ye mawa te. Na nzela wana nde bokolongola kati na Isalaele mabe ya kosopa makila ya moto oyo ayebi likambo te, mpo ete bozala malamu.

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 Okoki te kopusa mondelo ya moninga na yo, mondelo oyo bato oyo bayaki liboso na yo na mabele na yo bakataki kati na mokili oyo Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akopesa bino mpo ete bokamata yango.

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 Litatoli ya moto moko ekoki te mpo na kotalisa ete moto songolo abomaki moto to asalaki mabe. Bosolo ya likambo nyonso endimamaka na litatoli ya bato mibale to misato.

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 Soki motatoli ya lokuta atelemi mpo na kofunda moto mosusu ete moto wana abomi moto;

If a lying witness will have stood against a man, accusing him of a transgression,

17 bato nyonso mibale oyo bazali kowelana bakotelema na miso ya Yawe liboso ya Banganga-Nzambe mpe basambisi oyo bazali kosala mosala kati na bino na tango wana.

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 Basambisi basengeli koyekola likambo yango malamu penza. Mpe soki emonani ete motatoli akosi, apesi litatoli ya lokuta mpo na ndeko na ye;

And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,

19 bosala ye ndenge akanaki kosala ndeko na ye. Na nzela wana nde bokolongola mabe kati na bino.

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 Tango bato oyo batikali bakoyoka yango, bakobanga mpe mabe ya lolenge oyo ekotikala lisusu kosalema te kati na bino.

Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.

21 Boyokela moto ya ndenge wana mawa te! Mobeko ezali: bomoi mpo na bomoi, liso mpo na liso, linu mpo na linu, loboko mpo na loboko, lokolo mpo na lokolo.

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.”