Tiuteronomi 19
1 E whakangaromia e Ihowa, e tou Atua, nga iwi no ratou nei te whenua ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe, a ka riro to ratou wahi i a koe, a ka noho koe ki o ratou pa, ki o ratou whare:
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 Me wehe e koe kia toru nga pa mou i waenganui o tou whenua, ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe, hei kainga pumau.
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 Whakapaia e koe he huarahi, ka tapahi i nga rohe o tou whenua, ka whakawhiwhia nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe, kia toru nga wahanga, hei rerenga atu mo nga tangata whakamate katoa.
4 A ko te ahua tenei mo te tangata whakamate, e rere ai ki reira, e ora ai hoki: ara ki te patua e ia tona hoa he mea urupa, kahore hoki ona kino ki a ia i mua atu;
“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 Penei me te tangata ka haere tahi raua ko tona koa ki te ngahere ki te tapahi rakau, a ka aki atu tona ringa i te toki ki te tua i te rakau, na ka maunu te pane i te kakau, pono tonu ki tona hoa, a mate iho; na ka rere atu ia ki tetahi o aua pa, a ka ora:
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 Kei whai te kaitakitaki toto i te tangata whakamate, i te mea e pawerawera ana tona ngakau, a ka hopu i a ia, he roa hoki no te huarahi, a ka patu i a ia; kihai ia i tika te mate mona, no te mea kahore ia i kino ki a ia i mua atu.
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 Koia taku e whakahau atu nei ki a koe, e mea nei, Me wehe e koe kia toru nga pa mou.
[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 A ki te whakanui a Ihowa, tou Atua, i tou rohe, ki te rite ki tana i oati ai ki ou matua, a ka homai e ia te whenua katoa i mea ai ia kia homai ki ou matua;
“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 Ki te puritia e koe, ki te mahia enei whakahau katoa, e whakahau atu nei ahau ki a koe i tenei ra, ara kia aroha ki a Ihowa, ki tou Atua, kia haere hoki i ona huarahi i nga ra katoa; ko reira koe tango ai kia toru atu nga pa mou, hei tapiri mo en a pa e toru:
10 Kei whakahekea te toto harakore ki waenganui o tou whenua, ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe hei kainga, kei whakairia hoki te toto ki runga ki a koe.
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 Engari ia ki te kino tetahi ki tona hoa, a ka whanga ki a ia, ka whakatika hoki ki a ia, ka patu rawa i a ia, no ka mate ia; a ka rere ia ki tetahi o aua pa:
“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 Na me tono e nga kaumatua o tona pa, ka tiki atu hoki i a ia i reira, ka hoatu i a ia ki te ringa o te kaitakitaki toto, kia mate ai ia.
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 Kei tohu tou kanohi i a ia, engari me whakakahore e koe te toto harakore i roto i a Iharaira, kia whiwhi ai koe ki te pai.
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 Kei nekehia ketia e koe te rohe o tou hoa, i rohea ai e nga tangata onamata, ki tou kainga e nohoia e koe i te whenua ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe hei kainga.
“[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 Kei whakatika ki te tangata te kaiwhakaatu kotahi mo te kino, mo tetahi hara ranei, ahakoa he aha, e hara ai ia: ma te kupu a nga kaiwhakaatu tokorua, ma te kupu ranei a nga kaiwhakaatu tokotoru, e whakatikaia ai te korero.
“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 Ki te whakatika tetahi kaiwhakaatu teka ki tetahi tangata, hei korero teka i mahi ia i te he;
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 Na me tu nga tangata tokorua, na raua nei te totohe, ki te aroaro o Ihowa, ki te aroaro hoki o nga tohunga ratou ko nga kaiwhakawa e whakariterite ana i aua ra;
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 Na me whakataki marie e nga kaiwhakawa; a ka kitea he kaiwhakaatu teka te kaiwhakaatu, he teka tana korero mo tona teina;
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 Na peratia ia e koutou me tana i whakaaro ai kia meatia ki tona teina: penei ka whakakorea te kino i roto i a koe.
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 A ka rongo te nuinga, a ka wehi, e kore hoki e mea i te kino pera i roto i a koe a muri.
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 Kaua ano tou kanohi e tohu; ko to te ora utu he ora, to te kanohi he kanohi, to te niho he niho, to te ringa he ringa, to te waewae he waewae.
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.”
