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:

“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'Appoint the cities of refuge of 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.

Do this so that one who unintentionally kills a person can go there. These cities will be a place of refuge from anyone who seeks to avenge the blood of a person who was killed.

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.

He will run to one of those cities and will stand at the entrance of the city gate, and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they will take him into the city and give him a place for him 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 one of them comes to try to avenge the blood of the person who was killed, then the people of the city must not hand the one who killed him over to the authorities. They must not do this because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, and he had no hatred toward him in the past.

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.”

He must stay in that city until he has stood before the assembly for judgment, until the death of the one who was serving as high priest in those days. Then the one who had accidentally killed the person may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he 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.

So the Israelites selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron) in the hill country of 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.

Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from 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 were the cities selected for all the people of Israel and for the foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who killed a person unintentionally could run to them for safety. This person would not die by the hand of the one who wanted to avenge the blood that was shed, until the accused person would first stand before the assembly.