Teutalonome 19
1 “ʻOka hili hono motuhi ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua ʻae ngaahi kakai, ʻoku ʻonautolu ʻae fonua ʻoku foaki ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua kiate koe, pea ʻoku ke tongia ʻakinautolu, ʻo nofo ʻi heʻenau ngaahi kolo, mo honau ngaahi fale;
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 Te ke vaheʻi kiate koe ʻae kolo ʻe tolu ʻi he lotolotonga ʻo ho fonua, ʻaia ʻoku foaki ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua kiate koe ke ke maʻu ia.
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 Pea ke teu ʻae hala kiate koe, pea vahe tolu ʻae fonua, ʻaia ʻoku foaki ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua ke ke maʻu, koeʻuhi ke hola ki ai ʻaia kotoa pē kuo fai noa ha tāmate.
4 “Pea ko hono ʻuhinga eni ʻoe tāmate faainoa, ʻaia ʻe hola ia ki ai, ke ne moʻui ai: Ko ia ʻoku ne tāmateʻi hono kaungāʻapi taʻeloto ki ai, pea naʻe ʻikai tomuʻa fehiʻa ia kiate ia;
“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 Kae hangē ko e ʻalu ha tangata mo hono kaungāʻapi ki he vao ke fai ʻae taʻanga, pea ʻoku hiki hono nima ke tā ʻae ʻakau ke hinga, pea homo ʻae toki mei he ʻesia, pea lavea ai hono kaungāʻapi, pea mate ai ia; ʻe hola ia ki he kolo ʻe taha ʻi he ngaahi kolo ni, pea ʻe moʻui ia:
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 Telia naʻa tuli ʻe he totongi toto ki he tāmate faainoa, ʻi he kei vela hono loto, pea maʻu ia, koeʻuhi ʻoku lōloa ʻae hala, ʻo ne tāmateʻi ia; ka ko e moʻoni naʻe ʻikai totonu ke tāmateʻi ia, he naʻe ʻikai tomuʻa fehiʻa ia kiate ia.
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 Ko ia ʻoku ou fekau kiate koe, ʻo pehē, Ke ke vaheʻi kiate koe ʻae kolo ʻe tolu.
[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 Pea kapau ʻoku fakalahi ho fonua ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua, ʻo hangē ko ʻene fuakava ki hoʻo ngaahi tamai, ʻo ne foaki kiate koe ʻae ngaahi fonua kotoa pē ʻaia naʻa ne talaʻofa ke foaki ki hoʻo ngaahi tamai;
“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 Kapau te ke tauhi ʻae ngaahi fekau ni kotoa pē ke fai ki ai, ʻaia ʻoku ou fekauʻi koe he ʻaho ni, ke ʻofa kia Sihova ko ho ʻOtua, pea ke ʻalu maʻu pe ʻi hono ngaahi hala; pehē, te ke toki fakalahi ʻaki ʻae kolo kehe ʻe tolu, ki he kolo ʻe tolu ni:
10 Koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa lilingi ʻae toto taʻehalaia ʻi ho fonua, ʻaia ʻoku foaki ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua ko e tofiʻa kiate koe, pea ʻe hoko ai ʻae toto kiate 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 “Ka ko eni, kapau ʻoku fehiʻa ha tangata ki hono kaungāʻapi, pea toitoiʻi ai, pea tuʻu hake kiate ia, pea taaʻi ia ke lavea lahi pea mate ai, pea hola ia ki he kolo ʻe taha ʻoe ngaahi kolo ni:
“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 ʻE toki fekau ai ʻe he mātuʻa ʻo ʻene kolo ʻo ʻomi ia mei ai, pea ʻe tukuange ia ki he nima ʻoe totongi toto, koeʻuhi ke 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 ʻOua naʻa ʻofa ho mata kiate ia, ka ke tukuange mei ʻIsileli[ʻa hono nunuʻa ]ʻoe toto taʻehalaia, koeʻuhi ke hoko ai ʻae lelei kiate koe.
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 “ʻOua naʻa ke hiki ʻae fakangataʻanga fonua ʻo ho kaungāʻapi, ʻaia naʻe tō ʻi muʻa ʻi ho tofiʻa, ʻaia te ke maʻu ʻi he fonua ʻoku foaki ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua ke ke maʻu.
“[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 “ʻOua naʻa tuʻu hake ha fakamoʻoni pē taha ki ha tangata ʻi he hia, pe ʻi he angahala, ʻi ha angahala ʻe taha ʻoku ne fai: ʻi he ngutu ʻoe fakamoʻoni ʻe toko ua, pe ko e toko tolu, ʻe toki fakapapau ai ʻae meʻa.
“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 Kapau ʻe tuʻu hake ha fakamoʻoni loi ki he tangata ke fakamoʻoni ha meʻa kiate ia ʻaia ʻoku hala:
“If someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him,
17 ʻE tuʻu ai ʻae ongo tangata, ʻaia ʻoku na fakakikihi, ʻi he ʻao ʻo Sihova ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kau taulaʻeiki mo e kau fakamaau, ʻaia ʻoku nofo ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia;
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 Pea ʻe ʻeke lahi ʻe he kau fakamaau: pea vakai, kapau ko e fakamoʻoni loi ʻae fakamoʻoni, pea kuo ne fakamoʻoni loi ki hono tokoua:
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 Te mou toki fai kiate ia, ʻo hangē ko ia naʻa ne tokanga ke fai ki hono tokoua: ʻe pehē ʻa hoʻo tukuange ai ʻae kovi ʻiate kimoutolu.
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 Pea ko kinautolu ʻoku toe tenau fanongo, mo manavahē, pea ʻe ʻikai tenau toe fai ha kovi pehē ʻiate kimoutolu.
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 Pea ʻoua naʻa ʻofa ho mata, kae ʻatu ʻae moʻui ki he moʻui, ko e mata ki he mata, mo e nifo ki he nifo, ko e nima ki he nima, mo e vaʻe ki he vaʻe.
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.”
