5 Mosebok 19
1 Når Herren, din Gud, hev rudt ut alle folk i det landet han gjev deg, og du hev eigna det til deg, og bur i byarne og husi deira,
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 so skal du skifta heile det riket Herren, din Gud, hev gjeve deg, i tri luter, og so skal du skilja ut tri byar i landet,
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 og halda vegen dit godt i stand, so dei fredlause kann få røma dit.
4 Det er den som uviljande hev drepe nokon, og ikkje bar hat til honom frå fyrr, som skal få røma dit, og då vera trygg for livet sitt -
“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 som når ein gjeng med grannen sin ut i skogen og skal hogga timber, og han svingar øksi og vil fella eit tre, men øksi fer av skaftet og råkar grannen so han døyr, då kann han røma til ein av desse byarne og vera trygg for livet.
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 For blodhemnaren kunde i sin heite harm setja etter dråpsmannen, og var vegen lang, kunde han nå honom att og slå honom i hel, endå han ikkje var skuldig til å døy, sidan han ikkje hadde bore hat til den han drap.
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 Difor er det eg segjer med deg at du skal skilja ut tri byar.
[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 Og når Herren, din Gud, aukar riket ditt, som han lova federne dine, og gjev deg heile det landet han tala um å gjeva deim -
“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 so framt du då agtar vel på alle desse bodi og liver etter deim, soleis som eg segjer med deg i dag, so du elskar Herren, din Gud, og alle dagar gjeng på hans vegar - då skal du leggja endå tri byar attåt desse tri;
10 for det må ikkje renna uskuldigt blod i det landet Herren, din Gud, gjev deg til odel og eiga, so du fær blodskuld yver deg.
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 Men når ein hev lagt hat til grannen sin, og lurer seg innpå honom, og slær honom til ulivs, og so rømer til ein av desse byarne,
“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 då skal styresmennerne i heimbygdi hans senda folk, og henta honom heim att, og gjeva honom i henderne på blodhemnaren, og han skal lata livet.
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 Du skal ikkje spara honom, men reinsa Israel for blodskuldi, so sant du vil det skal ganga deg vel.
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 Du skal ikkje flytja merkesteinarne millom deg og grannen din, deim som dei gamle hev sett kring garden du fær til odel og eiga i det landet Herren, din Gud, vil gjeva dykk.
“[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 Eitt vitne er ikkje nok til å fella ein mann som er skulda for eit brot eller ei misgjerning, kva det so er for ei misgjerning han kann hava gjort. Tvo eller tri manns vitnemål skal det til fyrr det kann dømast i ei sak.
“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 Når det kjem fram eit vondkynt vitne og skuldar ein mann for lovbrot,
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 so skal båe tvo møtast for Herrens åsyn, for dei prestarne og domarane som då er;
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 og domarane skal granska saki vel. Syner det seg då at vitnet er ein ljugar og hev vitna rangt mot den andre,
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 so skal de gjera det same med honom som han hadde tenkt å gjera med hin. Soleis skal de rydja ut det vonde ut or lyden.
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 Og dei andre skal høyra det og ræddast, so det aldri meir vert gjort slik ei ugjerning millom dykk.
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 Du skal ingen spara, men krevja liv for liv, auga for auga, tonn for tonn, hand for hand, fot for fot.
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.”
