5 Mose 19

1 Sɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, sɛe aman a ɔde wɔn nsase rema mo no, na sɛ mopam wɔn na motena wɔn nkurow mu ne wɔn afi mu a,

When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

2 munyi nkuropɔn abiɛsa a ɛwɔ asase a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, de rema mo no mfimfini.

then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

3 Munyiyi akwan nkɔ hɔ na monkyɛ asase a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapade no mu abiɛsa sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, sɛ obi kum obi a, obeguan akɔ hɔ.

You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.

4 Sɛ obi anhyɛ da na okum obi a onni ne ho menasepɔw anaa ɔntan no dedaw a, nea ne nsa apa no tumi guan kɔ saa nkuropɔn yi biara so de gye ne ho nkwa.

Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:

5 Sɛ ebia, obi ne ne yɔnko bi kɔ wuram sɛ wɔrekobu nnua na sɛ ɛba sɛ ɔbaako him abonnua no sɛ ɔde rebu dua bi na sɛ abonnua no hɔn fi ne dua mu kum ne yɔnko no a, saa onipa no tumi guan kɔ nkuropɔn no baako so de gye ne ho nkwa.

If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

6 Sɛ anyɛ saa a ɔweretɔni no de abufuw bɛtaa no. Sɛ ɔkwan no ware dodo a ɔbɛto no akum no bi, a anka ɔmfata owu, esiane sɛ ɔnnam adwemmɔne biara so na okum no.

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

7 Eyi nti na merehyɛ mo sɛ munyi nkuropɔn abiɛsa nsi nkyɛn no.

This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

8 Sɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, trɛw mo man mu sɛnea ɔkaa ho ntam kyerɛɛ mo agyanom no na ɔde asase no nyinaa ma mo sɛnea ɔhyɛɛ wɔn ho bɔ no a,

And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,

9 esiane sɛ motɔ mo bo ase di mmara a mehyɛ mo nnɛ yi sɛ monnɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, na daa monnantew nʼakwan so no so nti na, ɛsɛ sɛ muyi nkuropɔn abiɛsa si nkyɛn no.

and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

10 Monyɛ eyi, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a wɔrenhwie mogya a enni fɔ no ngu mo asase a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, de rema mo sɛ mo agyapade no so, na moanni mogyahwiegu ho fɔ.

Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

11 Sɛ obi fi nitan mu hyɛ da kɔtɛw obi pira no, kum no na oguan kɔ nkuropɔn yi mu baako so a,

If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

12 ɛsɛ sɛ mpanyimfo a wɔwɔ ne kurow no mu hɔ no soma ma wɔkɔfa no fi kuropɔn no mu brɛ ɔweretɔni no ma okum no.

the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

13 Munnya ahummɔbɔ biara. Munyi awudi ho afɔdi biara mfi Israel na ama asi mo yiye.

You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.

14 Sɛ mudu asase a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, de rema mo sɛ agyapade no so a, munntutu mo yɔnkonom ntɔmmɛ a mo agyanom asisi no ngu.

You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

15 Mummmu obi a ɔdanseni baako pɛ abedi atia no no fɔ. Sobobɔ bedi mu, bere a nnipa baanu anaa baasa abedi adanse atia obi.

A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

16 Sɛ atoro danseni bi ba bɛbɔ obi amumɔyɛ bi ho kwaadu a,

If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,

17 ɛsɛ sɛ nnipa baanu a wodi asɛm no nyinaa ba asɔfo ne atemmufo a wɔreyɛ Awurade adwuma no anim.

both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.

18 Ɛsɛ sɛ atemmufo no yɛ nhwehwɛmu a emu dɔ yiye, na sɛ ɛda adi sɛ ɔdanseni no retwa atoro, a ɔredi adansekurum agu ne yɔnko Israelni no so a,

The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,

19 ɛno de, monyɛ ɔdansekurumni no sɛnea anka ɔpɛe sɛ wɔyɛ ne yɔnko no. Muntu abɔnefo ase mfi mo mu.

you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.

20 Nnipa nkae no bɛte na wɔasuro, na wɔrenyɛ saa bɔne no wɔ mo mu bio.

Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.

21 Munnhu obiara mmɔbɔ! Mo mmara a ɛsɛ sɛ mudi so no yɛ nkwa nsi nkwa anan mu, aniwa nsi aniwa anan mu, ɛse nsi se anan mu, nsa nsi nsa anan mu na nan nsi nan anan mu.

You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.