Nomery 35

1 Ary Jehovah niteny tamin’ i Mosesy teo Arbota-moaba, amoron’ i Jordana tandrifin’ i Jeriko, ka nanao hoe:

Yahweh spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said,

2 Mandidia ny Zanak’ Isiraely mba hanome tanàna ao amin’ ny zara-taniny avy honenan’ ny Levita; ary homenareo tany manodidina ny tanàna koa izy.

“Command the people of Israel to give some of their own shares of land to the Levites. They must give them cities to live in and pastureland surrounding those cities.

3 Koa ny tanàna dia honenany; ary ny tany dia ho an’ ny biby fiompiny sy ny fananany mbamin’ ny bibiny rehetra.

The Levites will have these cities to live in. The pastureland will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their animals.

4 Ary ny tany manodidina ny tanàna izay homenareo ny Levita dia izao: Hatramin’ ny màndan’ ny tanàna ka hatramin’ ny faritry ny taniny dia arivo hakiho amin’ ny lafiny efatra avy.

The pasturelands around the cities that you will give to the Levites must extend from the city walls for one thousand cubits in every direction.

5 Dia handrefy roa arivo hakiho eo ivelan’ ny tanàna ianareo amin’ ny lafiny atsinanana, ary roa arivo hakiho amin’ ny lafiny atsimo, ary roa arivo hakiho amin’ ny lafiny andrefana, ary roa arivo hakiho amin’ ny lafiny avaratra, ary ny tanàna dia ho eo afovoany; izany no ho taniny manodidina ny tanàna.

You must measure two thousand cubits from outside the city on the east side, and two thousand cubits to the south side, two thousand cubits to the west side, and two thousand cubits to the north side. This will be the pasturelands for their cities. The cities will be in the center.

6 Ary izao no tanàna izay homenareo ny Levita: dia tanàna enina, fandosirana, izay homenareo handosiran’ izay nahafaty olona, sy tanàna roa amby efa-polo koa.

Six of the cities that you will give to Levites must serve as cities of refuge. You must provide these as places to which a person who has killed someone can flee. Also provide forty-two other cities.

7 Koa ny tanàna rehetra izay homenareo ny Levita dia valo amby efa-polo mbamin’ ny tany manodidina azy.

The cities that you give to the Levites will total forty-eight. You must give their pasturelands with them.

8 Ary ny amin’ ny tanàna izay homenareo avy amin’ ny zara-tanin’ ny firenen’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely, dia izay be no hanalanareo be, ary izay kely no hanalanareo kely: samy hanome tanàna ho an’ ny Levita izy rehetra araka ny zara-taniny avy.

The larger tribes of the people of Israel, the tribes that have more land, must provide more cities. The smaller tribes will provide fewer cities. Each tribe must provide for the Levites according to the share that it has received.”

9 Ary Jehovah niteny tamin’ i Mosesy ka nanao hoe:

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

10 Mitenena amin’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely hoe: Rehefa tafita an’ i Jordana ianareo ka tonga any amin’ ny tany Kanana,

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 dia hifidy tanàna ianareo, ho tanàna fandosirana ho anareo, mba handosiran’ izay nahafaty olona tsy nahy.

then you must choose cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, a place to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.

12 Dia ho fandosirana ho anareo mba tsy ho azon’ ny mpamaly rà izany tanàna izany, mba tsy ho faty izay nahafaty olona mandra-pisehony hotsaraina eo anatrehan’ ny fiangonana.

These cities must be your refuge from the avenger, so that the accused man will not be killed without first standing trial before the community.

13 Ary ireo tanàna homenareo ireo dia ho tanàna fandosirana enina ho anareo.

You must choose six cities as cities of refuge.

14 Ny tanàna telo dia homenareo etỳ an-dafin’ i Jordana etỳ, ary ny tanàna telo kosa homenareo ao amin’ ny tany Kanana; ho tanàna fandosirana ireo.

You must provide three cities beyond the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. They will be cities of refuge.

15 Ireo tanàna enina ireo dia ho fandosirana ho an’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely sy ny vahiny ary ny mpitoetra ao aminy, mba handosiran’ izay rehetra nahafaty olona tsy nahy.

For the people of Israel, for the foreigners, for anyone living among you, these six cities will serve as a refuge to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally can flee.

16 Kanefa raha misy mamely vy olona ka mahafaty, dia nahafaty olona izy; hatao maty tokoa izay nahafaty olona.

But if an accused man has struck his victim with an instrument of iron, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death.

17 Ary raha misy mamely vato olona ka mahafaty, dia nahafaty olona izy; hatao maty tokoa izay nahafaty olona.

If an accused man has struck his victim with a stone in his hand that might kill the victim, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death.

18 Ary raha misy mamely hazo olona ka mahafaty, dia nahafaty olona izy; hatao maty tokoa izay nahafaty olona.

If an accused man has struck his victim with a wooden weapon that might kill the victim, and if the victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death.

19 Ny mpamaly rà no mahazo mamono azy; raha mihaona aminy izy, dia mahazo mamono azy.

The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death. When he meets him, the avenger of blood must put him to death.

20 Ary raha misy mamely olona noho ny lolom-po, na mitoraka olona amin’ ny fanotrehana, ka mahafaty,

If he strikes another in hatred or throws something at him, while hiding to ambush him, so that the victim dies,

21 na mamely amin’ ny tànany noho ny fandrafiana ka mahafaty, dia hatao maty tokoa ilay namely; nahafaty olona izy; ny mpamaly rà no mahazo mamono azy, raha mihaona aminy izy.

or if he strikes him down in hatred with his hand so that the victim dies, then the accused who struck him must surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 Fa raha misy mamely olona tsy nahy, ka tsy noho ny fandrafiana, na mitoraka olona na amin’ inona na amin’ inona, nefa tsy amin’ ny fanotrehana,

But if an accused man suddenly hits a victim without premeditated hate or throws something that hits the victim without lying in wait

23 na sendra manjera vato ka mahafaty olona, nefa tsy hitany, sady tsy fahavalony izy, na mitady handratra azy,

or if he throws a stone that could kill a victim without seeing the victim, then the accused was not the victim's enemy; he was not trying to hurt the victim. But this is what to do if the victim dies anyway.

24 dia hotsarain’ ny fiangonana ilay namely sy ny mpamaly rà araka izany lalàna izany.

In that case, the community must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood on the basis of these rules.

25 Ary hovonjen’ ny fiangonana ho afaka amin’ ny mpamaly rà ilay nahafaty olona, ka hateriny indray ho ao amin’ ny tanàna fandosirana izay nalehany tamin’ izy nandositra; ary hitoetra ao izy mandra-pahafatin’ ny mpisoronabe izay voahosotra tamin’ ny diloilo masìna.

The community must rescue the accused from the power of the avenger of blood. The community must return the accused to the city of refuge to which he had originally fled. He must live there until the death of the current high priest, the one who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 Fa raha mivoaka ho eo ivelan’ ny tanàna fandosirana izay nalehany tamin’ izy nandositra ilay nahafaty olona

But if the accused man at any time goes beyond the border of the city of refuge to which he fled,

27 ka hitan’ ny mpamaly rà eo ivelan’ ny tanàna, dia azony vonoina izy; ary tsy hisy valin-drà amin’ izany,

and if the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and if he kills the accused man, the avenger of blood will not be guilty of murder.

28 satria tokony ho nitoetra tao an-tanàna fandosirana izy mandra-pahafatin’ ny mpisoronabe; fa rehefa maty ny mpisoronabe, dia mahazo mody any amin’ ny zara-taniny ihany ilay nahafaty olona.

This is because the accused man should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the accused may return to the land where he has his own property.

29 Ary izany zavatra izany dia ho lalàna hitondrana anareo hatramin’ ny taranakareo fara mandimby eny amin’ izay rehetra onenanareo.

These laws must be statutes for you through all your people's generations in all the places where you live.

30 Ny amin’ izay rehetra mahafaty olona, dia hatao maty izay mahafaty, araka ny tenin’ ny vavolombelona; nefa raha vavolombelona iray monja, dia tsy ampy hanameloka hahafaty olona izany.

Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be killed, as testified to by the words of witnesses. But one witness' word alone may not cause any person to be put to death.

31 Ary ianareo tsy handray avotry ny ain’ ny nahafaty olona, izay meloka ka tokony ho faty; fa hatao maty tokoa izy.

Also, you must not accept ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of murder. He must certainly be put to death.

32 Ary ianareo tsy handray avotra ho an’ izay mandositra ho ao an-tanàna fandosirana, mba hodiany indray hitoetra amin’ ny taniny, raha mbola tsy maty ny mpisorona.

You must not accept ransom for the one who has fled to a city of refuge. You must not in this way allow him to reside on his own property until the high priest dies.

33 Ary aza mametaveta ny tany izay onenanareo, fa ny rà dia fametavetana ny tany; ary ny tany tsy azo anaovana fanavotana ny amin’ ny rà izay nalatsaka teo, afa-tsy amin’ ny ran’ izay nandatsaka azy ihany.

Do not pollute in this way the land where you live, because blood from murder pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land when blood has been shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

34 Ary aza lotoinareo ny tany onenanareo, izay itoerako; fa Izaho Jehovah mitoetra eo amin’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely.

So you must not defile the land in which you live because I am living in it. I, Yahweh, live among the people of Israel.'”