Yoswa 20
1 Mukama Katonda n’alyoka agamba Yoswa nti,
Then Yahweh said to Joshua,
2 “Gamba abaana ba Isirayiri bateekewo ebibuga ebyokwekwekamu nga bwe nabalagira okuyita mu Musa,
“Tell the Israeli people that they should choose some cities to which people [can run] in order to be safe/protected, like I told Moses that they should do.
3 era nti omuntu yenna atta omulala nga tagenderedde era nga takitegese addukirenga omwo, eyo gy’anaawoneranga omuwoolezi w’eggwanga ayagala okwesasuza.
If someone kills another person accidentally, not intending to kill that person, the one who killed that person may run/escape to one of these cities and be safe/protected from someone trying to get revenge for that person’s death [MTY].
4 “Annadukiranga mu kimu ku bibuga ebyo n’ayimirira ku mulyango gw’ekibuga annyonnyole ensonga ye eri abakadde b’ekibuga ekyo. Awo ne balyoka bamukkiriza okuyingira mu kibuga ne bamuwa ekifo eky’okubeeramu.
When the one who killed someone arrives at the gate of one of those cities, he must stop there and tell the leaders of the city what happened. [If they believe him], they must allow him to enter the city, and they must give him a place to live among them.
5 N’oyo ayagala okwesasuza singa anaamugobereranga, tebateekwa kuwaayo oyo asse tagenderedde kubanga muliraanwa we yamutta tagenderedde, lwa kuba nti yamulinako ekiruyi n’obukyayi.
If some relative of the one who was killed comes to that city to get revenge, the leaders of that city must not allow the relative to take the killer, because what happened was accidental. He did not hate that person and as a result deliberately kill him.
6 “Mu kibuga omwo mwanaabeeranga, abantu baamu banaawuliranga ensonga ye, era anaabeeranga omwo okutuusa kabona omukulu aliko mu kiseera ekyo, lw’alifa. Olwo nno aliddayo ewaabwe mu kibuga gye yadduka.”
But the person who killed someone must stay in that city until the city judges put him on trial. [Only if the judges decide that the person who has run/escaped to their city did not deliberately kill the other person will they allow him to stay in that city], and he must stay there until the Supreme Priest dies. Then he may safely go back to his own town, [because the death of the Supreme Priest will be considered to atone/pay for the death of the person who was killed].”
7 Awo ne baawulako ebibuga bino: Kedesi mu Ggaliraaya mu nsi ey’ensozi eya Nafutaali, ne Sekemu mu nsi ey’ensozi eya Efulayimu, ne Kiriasualuba, ye Kebbulooni mu nsi ey’ensozi eya Yuda.
So the Israelis chose these cities to be cities to which people could run to be safe/protected: Kedesh in the Galilee district in the hilly area where the tribe of Naphtali lived; Shechem in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived; Kiriath-Arba (which is [now named] Hebron) in the hilly area where the tribe of Judah lived;
8 N’emitala wa Yoludaani ku Yeriko ku luuyi olw’ebuvanjuba ne bateekayo Bezeri mu lukoola mu lusenyi mu kika kya Lewubeeni, ne Lamosi mu Gireyaadi mu kika kya Gaadi, ne Golani mu Basani mu kika kya Manase.
Bezer, on the east side of the Jordan [River] near Jericho, in the flat land in the desert where the tribe of Reuben lived; Ramoth in the Gilead [region] in the land where the tribe of Gad lived; and Golan in the Bashan region where the tribe of Manasseh lived.
9 Ebyo bye bibuga ebyateekebwawo abaana ba Isirayiri bonna era ne bannaggwanga abaali mu bo nti omuntu yenna eyattanga omuntu nga tagenderedde addukire eyo aleme kuttibwa omuwoolezi w’eggwanga okutuusa lw’aliyimirira mu maaso g’ekibiina.
Any Israeli or any foreigner who lived among us, anyone who killed someone (accidentally/without planning to do it), was allowed to run to one of those cities, and be safe/protected from some relative of the person who died coming there and killing him to get revenge. He could stay in that city until there was a trial there [to decide whether he was telling the truth or not when he said that he did not plan to kill that person].
