Amanani 35

1 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi emagcekeni akoMowabi, eJordani eJeriko, isithi:

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

2 Laya abantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi banike amaLevi okwelifa lemfuyo yabo imizi yokuhlala; futhi linike amaLevi amadlelo emizi inhlangothi zonke zawo.

“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 Njalo azakuba lemizi yokuhlala, lamadlelo awo abe ngawenkomo zawo lawempahla zawo lawezifuyo zawo zonke.

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

4 Lamadlelo emizi elizawanika amaLevi azakuba kusukela emthangaleni womuzi langaphandle izingalo eziyinkulungwane inhlangothi zonke.

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 Njalo lizalinganisa ngaphandle komuzi ingalo ezizinkulungwane ezimbili ehlangothini lwempumalanga, lengalo ezizinkulungwane ezimbili ehlangothini lweningizimu, lengalo ezizinkulungwane ezimbili ehlangothini lwentshonalanga, lengalo ezizinkulungwane ezimbili ehlangothini lwenyakatho, lomuzi ube phakathi. Lokho kuzakuba ngamadlelo awo emizi.

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 Lemizi elizayinika amaLevi izakuba yimizi eyisithupha yokuphephela elizayinika, ukuze umbulali abalekele khona; langaphezu kwayo linike imizi engamatshumi amane lambili.

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 Yonke imizi elizayinika amaLevi izakuba ngamatshumi amane lesificaminwembili, yile lamadlelo ayo.

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

8 Lemizi elizayinika emfuyweni yabantwana bakoIsrayeli; koleminengi lithathe eminengi, lakolemilutshwana lithathe emilutshwana; ngulowo lalowo njengokwelifa lakhe azalidla, uzanika okwemizi yakhe kumaLevi.

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 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

10 Tshono ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli uthi kibo: Lapho lichapha iJordani lingene elizweni leKhanani,

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

11 zimiseleni imizi ezakuba yimizi yenu yokuphephela, ukuze umbulali abalekele khona, otshaye umuntu kungeyisikho ngabomo.

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 Njalo izakuba yimizi yenu yokuphephela kumphindiseli, ukuthi umbulali angafi aze eme phambi kwenhlangano ukuthi ahlulelwe.

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 Lemizi elizayinika izakuba yimizi yenu eyisithupha yokuphephela.

You must choose six cities as cities of refuge.

14 Lizanika imizi emithathu nganeno kweJordani, linike imizi emithathu elizweni leKhanani, ibe yimizi yokuphephela.

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

15 Limizi eyisithupha izakuba ngeyokuphephela kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, lakowemzini lakowezizweni phakathi kwabo, ukuze loba ngubani otshaya umuntu kungeyisikho ngabomo abalekele khona.

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 Njalo nxa emtshaya ngesikhali sensimbi afe, ungumbulali; umbulali kabulawe lokubulawa.

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 Njalo nxa emtshaya ngelitshe elisesandleni angafa ngalo, abesesifa, ungumbulali; umbulali kabulawe lokubulawa.

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 Kumbe uba emtshaya ngesikhali sesigodo esisesandleni angafa ngaso, abesesifa, ungumbulali; umbulali kabulawe lokubulawa.

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 Umphindiseli wegazi, yena uzabulala umbulali; lapho ehlangana laye, yena uzambulala.

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

20 Njalo nxa emsunduza ngokuzonda, loba emjikijela ngokucathama, afe,

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

21 loba ngobutha emtshaya ngesandla sakhe, afe, lowo otshayayo kabulawe lokubulawa, ungumbulali; umphindiseli wegazi uzabulala umbulali lapho ehlangana laye.

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 Kodwa uba emsunduzile masinyane engelabutha, loba emjikijela loba ngasiphi isikhali engacathamanga,

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

23 kumbe loba ngaliphi ilitshe, angafa ngalo, engamboni, aliwisele kuye, afe, lanxa engeyisiso isitha sakhe, futhi engadingi ububi bakhe,

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 inhlangano izakwahlulela phakathi komtshayi lomphindiseli wegazi ngokwezahlulelo lezi.

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

25 Lenhlangano izamophula umbulali esandleni somphindiseli wegazi; lenhlangano imbuyisele emzini wokuphephela kwakhe, lapho abebalekele khona, ahlale kuwo, aze afe umpristi omkhulu owagcotshwa ngamafutha angcwele.

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 Kodwa uba umbulali ephuma nje umngcele womuzi wokuphephela kwakhe, abebalekele khona,

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

27 umphindiseli wegazi emfica ngaphandle komngcele womuzi wokuphephela kwakhe, umphindiseli wegazi uzabulala umbulali; kayikuba lecala legazi.

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 Ngoba ngabe uhlale emzini wokuphephela kwakhe, aze afe umpristi omkhulu; kodwa emva kokufa kompristi omkhulu umbulali uzabuyela elizweni lemfuyo yakhe.

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 Njalo lezizinto zizakuba ngumthetho wesahlulelo kini, ezizukulwaneni zenu, kuyo yonke imizi yenu.

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

30 Loba ngubani otshaya umuntu, ngomlomo wabafakazi umbulali uzabulawa; kodwa umfakazi oyedwa kayikufakaza ngomuntu ukuthi afe.

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 Futhi kaliyikuthatha inhlawulo ngempilo yombulali ocaleke ngokufa; ngoba uzabulawa lokubulawa.

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 Njalo kaliyikuthatha inhlawulo ngobalekele emzini wokuphephela kwakhe, ukuze abuyele ukuyahlala elizweni, aze afe umpristi.

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 Ngakho kaliyikungcolisa ilizwe elikilo; ngoba ligazi elingcolisa ilizwe; njalo kakuyikwenzelwa ilizwe ukubuyisana ngegazi elichithwe kulo, ngaphandle kwangegazi lolichithileyo.

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 Ngakho lingangcolisi ilizwe elihlala kilo, engihlala phakathi kwalo; ngoba mina iNkosi ngihlala phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.

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.'”