Iyyaasuu 20

1 Ergasii Waaqayyo Iyyaasuudhaan akkana jedhe:

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 “Akkuma ani karaa Museetiin isin ajaje sanatti akka Israaʼeloonni magaalaawwan itti kooluu galan filatan itti himi;

“Tell the Israeli people that they should choose some cities to which people [can run] in order to be safe/protected, like I told Moses that they should do.

3 kunis akka namni tasuma yookaan utuu itti hin yaadin nama ajjeese kam iyyuu itti kooluu galee nama haaloo dhiigaa baasu duraa baʼuuf.

If someone kills another person accidentally, not intending to kill that person, the one who killed that person may run/escape to one of these cities and be safe/protected from someone trying to get revenge for that person’s death [MTY].

4 Inni yommuu magaalaawwan sana keessaa tokkotti kooluu galutti karra magaalattii irra dhaabatee fuula maanguddoota magaalaa sanaa duratti dhimma isaa himachuu qaba. Isaanis ergasii magaalaa isaaniitti isa simatanii akka inni isaan wajjin jiraatuuf iddoo kennuufii qabu.

When the one who killed someone arrives at the gate of one of those cities, he must stop there and tell the leaders of the city what happened. [If they believe him], they must allow him to enter the city, and they must give him a place to live among them.

5 Yoo namni haaloo dhiigaa baasu isa duukaa buʼe illee, sababii inni utuu itti hin yaadinii fi utuu duraan jibba wal irraa hin qabaatin nama ollaa isaa ajjeeseef, isaan namicha sana dabarsanii kennuu hin qaban.

If some relative of the one who was killed comes to that city to get revenge, the leaders of that city must not allow the relative to take the killer, because what happened was accidental. He did not hate that person and as a result deliberately kill him.

6 Inni hamma fuula waldaa dura qorumsaaf dhaabatuttii fi hamma lubni ol aanaan yeroo sanatti tajaajilaa ture duʼutti magaalaadhuma sana keessa jiraachuu qaba. Ergasii inni mana isaatti, gara magaalaa keessaa baqate sanaatti deebiʼuu dandaʼa.”

But the person who killed someone must stay in that city until the city judges put him on trial. [Only if the judges decide that the person who has run/escaped to their city did not deliberately kill the other person will they allow him to stay in that city], and he must stay there until the Supreme Priest dies. Then he may safely go back to his own town, [because the death of the Supreme Priest will be considered to atone/pay for the death of the person who was killed].”

7 Kanaafuu isaan biyya gaaraa Niftaalem keessaa Qaadesh ishee Galiilaa keessaa sana, biyya gaaraa Efreem keessaa Sheekem, biyya gaaraa Yihuudaa keessaa immoo Kiriyaati Arbaaq kan Kebroon jedhamtu sana filatan.

So the Israelis chose these cities to be cities to which people could run to be safe/protected: Kedesh in the Galilee district in the hilly area where the tribe of Naphtali lived; Shechem in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived; Kiriath-Arba (which is [now named] Hebron) in the hilly area where the tribe of Judah lived;

8 Yordaanos gamaa karaa lixa Yerikootiin, biyya gosa Ruubeen keessaa Bezer ishee gammoojjii diriiraa keessaa sana, biyya gosa Gaad keessaa Raamooti ishee Giliʼaad keessatti argamtu, biyya gosa Minaasee keessaa immoo Goolaan ishee Baashaan keessatti argamtu sana filatan.

Bezer, on the east side of the Jordan [River] near Jericho, in the flat land in the desert where the tribe of Reuben lived; Ramoth in the Gilead [region] in the land where the tribe of Gad lived; and Golan in the Bashan region where the tribe of Manasseh lived.

9 Magaalaawwan akka namni tasa nama ajjeese kam iyyuu itti baqatuuf Israaʼeloota hundaa fi alagoota gidduu isaanii jiraataniif filataman kanneenii dha; kunis akka inni hamma harka waldaa jirutti namicha haaloo dhiigaa baasu sanaan hin ajjeefamneef.

Any Israeli or any foreigner who lived among us, anyone who killed someone (accidentally/without planning to do it), was allowed to run to one of those cities, and be safe/protected from some relative of the person who died coming there and killing him to get revenge. He could stay in that city until there was a trial there [to decide whether he was telling the truth or not when he said that he did not plan to kill that person].