UDutheronomi 19
1 Lapho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho isiqumile izizwe, olizwe lazo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunike lona, osusidla ilifa lazo, osuhlala emizini yazo lezindlini zazo,
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 imizi emithathu uzazehlukanisela yona phakathi kwelizwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukudla ilifa lalo.
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 Uzazilungisela indlela, wehlukanise umngcele welizwe lakho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukudla ilifa lalo, ube lezigaba ezintathu, ukuze wonke umbulali abalekele khona.
4 Lalolu ludaba lombulali ongabalekela khona ukuze aphile: Lowo otshaya umakhelwane wakhe kungeyisikho ngabomo, obengamzondi mandulo,
“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 njengongena egangeni lomakhelwane wakhe ukuyagamula izihlahla, lesandla sakhe sitshaya ngehloka ukugamula isihlahla, lensimbi ikhumuke emphinini, imtshaye umakhelwane wakhe aze afe, yena uzabalekela komunye waleyomizi ukuze aphile.
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 Hlezi umphindiseli wegazi axotshane lombulali, inhliziyo yakhe isatshisa, amfice ngoba indlela inde, amtshaye ambulale, lanxa bekungelasigwebo sokufa kuye, ngoba ebengamzondi mandulo.
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 Ngalokhu ngiyalilaya ngisithi: Uzazehlukanisela imizi emithathu.
[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 Uba-ke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho iqhelisa umngcele wakho, njengokufunga kwayo kuboyihlo, ikunika ilizwe lonke eyakhuluma ngalo ukubanika oyihlo,
“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 uba ugcina yonke limithetho ukuyenza engikulaya yona lamuhla, ukuthanda iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, lokuhamba endleleni zayo izinsuku zonke, khona uzazengezelelela eminye imizi emithathu ngaphandle kwaleyo emithathu.
10 Ukuze kungachithwa igazi elingelacala phakathi kwelizwe lakho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukuba yilifa, ube lecala legazi phezu kwakho.
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 Kodwa uba umuntu elenzondo kumakhelwane wakhe, amcathamele, amvukele, amtshaye okokufa aze afe, abalekele komunye walimizi,
“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 khona abadala bomuzi wakhe bazathumela bamthathe lapho, bamnikele esandleni somphindiseli wegazi ukuthi afe.
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 Ilihlo lakho lingamhawukeli, kodwa uzakhupha igazi elingelacala koIsrayeli, ukuze kukulungele.
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 Ungatshedisi isikhonkwane somngcele womakhelwane wakho abendulo abasibethelayo elifeni lakho, ozakudla ilifa lalo elizweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukudla ilifa lalo.
“[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 Umfakazi oyedwa kayikusukumela umuntu loba ngabuphi ububi loba ngasiphi isono, loba kusiphi isono one ngaso. Ngomlomo wabafakazi ababili kumbe ngomlomo wabafakazi abathathu udaba lungaqiniswa.
“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 Uba kusukuma umfakazi wamanga amelane lomuntu emfakazela ngokubi,
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 khona abantu bobabili, abalokuxabana, bazakuma phambi kweNkosi, phambi kwabapristi labahluleli abazakuba bekhona ngalezonsuku.
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 Labahluleli bazachwayisisa; khangela-ke umfakazi ngumfakazi wamanga, ufakaze amanga ngomfowabo,
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 khona lizakwenza kuye lokho abehlose ukukwenza kumfowabo; ngalokhu uzakhupha ububi phakathi kwakho.
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 Lalabo abaseleyo bazakuzwa, besabe, kusukela lapho bangabe besenza ububi obunjengalobu phakathi kwakho.
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 Lelihlo lakho lingabi lesihawu; impilo ngempilo, ilihlo ngelihlo, izinyo ngezinyo, isandla ngesandla, unyawo ngonyawo.
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.”
