Siosiua 20

1 Pea naʻe folofola ʻa Sihova foki kia Siosiua, ʻo pehē,

And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them:

2 Ke ke lea ki he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻo pehē, “Fili moʻomoutolu ʻae ngaahi kolo ke hūfanga ki ai, ʻaia naʻaku lea ai kiate kimoutolu ʻi he nima ʻo Mōsese:

Separate the cities of refuge, about which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses,

3 Koeʻuhi ke hola ki ai ʻae fakapō ʻaia ʻoku ne tāmateʻi lavenoaʻia ha tokotaha ʻo taʻeloto ki ai: pea ʻe ʻiate kimoutolu ia ko homou hūfanga mei he totongi toto.

so that anyone who will have struck down a life unintentionally may flee to them. And so, he may be able to escape from the wrath of a close relative, who is an avenger of blood.

4 Pea ka tuʻu ʻi he matapā ʻo ha kolo ʻe taha ʻi he ngaahi kolo ni, ʻaia ʻoku ne hola ki ai, ʻo ne fakamatala ʻene meʻa ʻi he telinga ʻoe kau mātuʻa ʻoe kolo ko ia, tenau ʻave ia ki he kolo kiate kinautolu, ʻonau tuku kiate ia ha potu, ke ne nofo ai mo kinautolu.

And when he will have fled to one of these cities, he shall stand before the gate of the city, and he shall speak to the ancients of that city, the things that prove him innocent. And so shall they receive him, and give him a place in which to live.

5 Pea kapau ʻoku tuli ia ʻe he totongi toto, ʻe ʻikai ai tenau tukuange ʻae fakapō ki hono nima; koeʻuhi naʻa ne tā lavenoaʻia hono kaungāʻapi, ka naʻe ʻikai tomuʻa fehiʻa kiate ia.

And if the avenger of blood will have pursued him, they shall not deliver him into his hands. For he struck down his neighbor unknowingly, one who was not proven to have been his enemy two or three days before.

6 Pea ʻe nofo ia ʻi he kolo ko ia, ke ʻoua ke tuʻu ia ʻi he ʻao ʻoe fakataha ʻi he fakamaau, pea ke ʻoua ke pekia ʻae taulaʻeiki lahi ʻaia ʻe ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia: pea ʻe toki liu mai ʻae tāmate faainoa, ʻo haʻu ki heʻene kolo, pea haʻu ki hono fale, ki he kolo naʻe hola ia mei ai.”

And he shall live in that city, until he stands before judgment in order to render the facts of his case, and until the death of the high priest, whoever it will be in that time. Then the one who killed a man may return, and he may enter his own city and house, from which he had fled.”

7 Pea naʻa nau fili ʻa Ketesi ʻi Kaleli ʻi he moʻunga ʻo Nafitalai, mo Sikemi ʻi he moʻunga ʻo ʻIfalemi, mo Kesa-ʻAlipa, ʻaia ko Hepeloni, ʻi he moʻunga ʻo Siuta.

And they decreed Kedesh in Galilee, at mount Naphtali, and Shechem, at mount Ephraim, and Kiriath-Arba, which is Hebron, at mount Judah.

8 Pea ʻi he kauvai ʻe taha ʻo Sioatani ofi ki Seliko ʻi he potu hahake, naʻa nau fili ʻa Peseli ʻi he toafa ki he potu ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Lupeni, mo Lemoti ʻi Kiliati mei he faʻahinga ʻo Kata, mo Kolani Pesani mei he faʻahinga ʻo Manase.

And beyond the Jordan, opposite the eastern side of Jericho, they appointed Bezer, which is situated on the plain of the wilderness of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan of the tribe of Manasseh.

9 Ko eni ʻae ngaahi kolo naʻe fili ki he fānau kotoa pē ʻa ʻIsileli, pea ki he muli ʻoku ʻāunofo ʻiate kinautolu, koeʻuhi ko ia ʻoku ne tāmate lavenoaʻia ha tokotaha, ke hola ia ki ai, ke ʻoua naʻa mate ia ʻi he nima ʻoe totongi toto, kaeʻoua ke tuʻu ia ʻi he ʻao ʻoe fakataha.

These cities were established for all the sons of Israel, and for the new arrivals who were living among them, so that whoever had struck down a life unintentionally might flee to these, and not die at the hand of a close relative who desires to vindicate the blood that was shed, until he should stand before the people, in order to present his case.