< Siosiua 20 >

1 Pea naʻe folofola ʻa Sihova foki kia Siosiua, ʻo pehē,
Then Yahweh said to Joshua,
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:
“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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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].

< Siosiua 20 >