Deotoronomia 21
1 Raha tahìny misy maty novonoin’ olona hita miampatra any an-tsaha amin’ ny tany izay omen’ i Jehovah Andriamanitrao anao holovana, ary tsy fantatra izay nahafaty azy,
“Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
2 dia hivoaka ny loholonao sy ny mpitsaranao ka horefesiny hatreo amin’ ny faty ka hatramin’ izay tanàna manodidina azy.
[If that happens], your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
3 Ary ny loholona amin’ ny tanàna izay akaikin’ ny faty indrindra dia haka ombivavy kely izay tsy mbola nampiasaina na nasiana zioga hitarihany.
Then the elders in the town that is closest to where the corpse was found must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
4 Ary ilay ombivavy kely dia ho entin’ ny loholona amin’ izany tanàna izany midìna any amin’ izay lohasaha tsy voasa na voafafy sady misy renirano tsy mety ritra, dia hofolahiny any an-dohasaha ny vozony.
They must take it to a place near a stream where the ground has never been plowed or planted. They must break its neck there in that valley.
5 Ary ireo mpisorona, taranak’ i Levy, dia hanatona, fa izy no nofidin’ i Jehovah Andriamanitrao hanao fanompoam-pivavahana aminy sy hitso-drano amin’ ny anaran’ i Jehovah; koa araka ny teniny no hanefana ny ady rehetra sy ny vonoana rehetra;
The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.
6 ary ny loholona rehetra amin’ izany tanàna akaikin’ ny faty izany dia hanasa ny tànany eo ambonin’ ilay ombivavy kely izay efa voafolaka tany an-dohasaha ny vozony;
The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
7 dia hiloa-bava ireo ka hanao hoe: Tsy ny tananay no nandatsaka ity rà ity, sady tsy nahita izany ny masonay.
and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
8 Jehovah ô, mamelà ny heloky ny Isiraely olonao izay navotanao ka aza atao ho heloky ny Isiraely olonao ny rà marina! Dia ho afa-keloka ny amin’ izany rà izany izy.
Yahweh, forgive us, your Israeli people whom you rescued [from Egypt]. Do not consider (us to be guilty/that we should be punished because) of murdering someone who (is innocent/had not done something that is wrong). Instead, forgive us.’
9 Ka dia hesorinao ho afaka aminao ny rà marina, raha hanao izay mahitsy eo imason’ i Jehovah ianao.
By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.”
10 Raha mivoaka hanafika ny fahavalonao ianao, ary atolotr’ i Jehovah Andriamanitrao eo an-tananao izy ka voababonao,
“When you [soldiers] go to fight against your enemies, and Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them [IDM], and (they become your prisoners/you capture them),
11 ary misy vehivavy tsara tarehy hitanao eo amin’ ny babo ka tianao hovadina,
one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
12 dia ento ho ao an-tranonao izy, ka asaovy haratany ny lohany sy alàny ny hohony,
He should take her to his home, and there she must shave [all the hair off] her head and cut her fingernails [to signify that now she does not belong to her people-group any more, but instead she is becoming an Israeli].
13 ary asaovy esoriny koa ny fitafiany tamin’ ny nahababo azy, dia aoka hitoetra ao an-tranonao andro iray volana izy hitomany ny ray aman-dreniny; ary rehefa afaka izany, dia vao mahazo mandry aminy ianao ka ho tompom-bady azy, ary ho vadinao izy.
She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, [and put on Israeli clothes]. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of [leaving] her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
14 Fa raha tsy tianao intsony ravehivavy, dia alefaso handeha araka izay sitrapony izy: fa aza mivarotra azy hatao vola aman-karena na manandevo azy, satria efa nampietry azy ianao.
Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was forced to have sex with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave [and sell her to someone else].”
15 Raha misy lehilahy mamporafy, ka ny anankiray tiany, fa ny anankiray kosa tsy tiany, ary samy miteraka zaza aminy izy roa vavy, na ny tiany na ny tsy tiany, ary zanak’ ilay tsy tiany no lahimatoa:
“Suppose that a man has two wives, but he likes one of them and dislikes the other one. And suppose that they both give birth to sons, and the oldest son is the child of the woman that he does not like.
16 amin’ ny andro handidiany fananana ho an’ ny zananilahy dia tsy azo hatao lahimatoa ny zanaky ny tiany, raha mbola eo ihany ny zanaky ny tsy tiany, izay tena lahimatoany;
On the day when that man decides how he will divide his possessions for his sons to possess [after he dies], he must not favor the son of the wife that he loves by giving him [a bigger share, ] the share that the older son should receive.
17 fa ny lahimatoa, zanak’ ilay tsy tiany ihany, no hekeny ka homeny anjaran-droa amin’ izay rehetra ananany; fa voalohan’ ainy izy, ka azy ny fizokiana.
He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.”
18 Raha misy olona manana zanakalahy maditra sy manohitra ka tsy mety mihaino ny feon’ ny rainy, na ny feon’ ny reniny, ka tsy zakany anarina,
“Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always (rebelling against/disobeying) [his parents], and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him [MTY].
19 dia hosamborin’ ny rainy sy ny reniny izy ka ho entiny amin’ ny loholona amin’ ny tanànany, eo amin’ ny vavahadin’ ny tanàna onenany,
If that happens, his parents must take him to the (gate of/central meeting place in) the city where he lives and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
20 dia hiteny amin’ ny loholona amin’ ny tanànany izy mivady hoe: Ity zanakay ity dia maditra sy manohitra ka tsy mihaino ny feonay, fa mpandany sy fileony.
Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him [MTY]. He wastes a lot of money (OR, eats too much food) and gets drunk.’
21 Dia hitora-bato azy ho faty ny mponina rehetra ao an-tanànany; ka dia hofongoranao tsy ho eo aminao ny fanao ratsy; ary ny Isiraely rehetra dia handre izany ka hatahotra.
Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you. And everyone in Israel will hear [about what happened] and they will be afraid [to do what he did].”
22 Ary raha misy olona manao fahotana izay tokony hahafaty azy ka atao maty ary ahantona amin’ ny hazo.
“If someone is executed for having committed a crime for which he deserves to die, and you hang his corpse on a post,
23 dia tsy havela hiloaka alina eo amin’ ny hazo ny fatiny, fa tsy maintsy halevinao androtr’ iny ihany izy (fa voaozon’ Andriamanitra ny mihantona amin’ ny hazo); koa aza lotoina ny taninao, izay omen’ i Jehovah Andriamanitrao anao ho lovanao.
you must not allow his corpse to remain there all night. You must bury it on the day that he died, because [God] has cursed anyone whose corpse is allowed to remain on a post. [You must bury the corpse that day], in order that you do not defile the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”
