5 Mose 19
1 Sɛ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn sɛe aman a ɔde wɔn nsase rema mo na sɛ mopam wɔn na motena wɔn nkuro no mu ne wɔn afie mu a,
When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,
2 monyi nkuropɔn mmiɛnsa a ɛwɔ asase no mfimfini a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo afa no.
you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess.
3 Monyiyi akwan nkɔ hɔ na monkyɛ asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ no mu mmiɛnsa sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, sɛ obi kum obi a, ɔbɛdwane akɔ hɔ.
You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land which the LORD your God causes you to inherit into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there.
4 Sɛ obi anhyɛ da na ɔkum obi a ɔnni ne ho menasepɔ anaa ɔntan no dada a, onipakumfoɔ no tumi dwane kɔ saa nkuropɔn yi biara so de gye ne ho nkwa.
This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbour unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past—
5 Sɛ ebia, obi ne ne yɔnko bi kɔ wiram rekɔbu nnua na sɛ ɛba sɛ ɔbaako de abonnua rebu dua bi na sɛ abonnua no hɔn firi ne dua mu kumm ne yɔnko no a, saa asɛm yi mu no, onipakumfoɔ no tumi dwane kɔ nkuropɔn no baako so de gye ne ho nkwa.
as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbour to chop wood and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbour so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live.
6 Sɛ dwanekɔbea biara mmɛn hɔ a, ɔtaafoɔ bi bɛtumi ataa onipakumfoɔ no akum no. Sɛ ɛba saa a, ɛkyerɛ sɛ, wɔakum onipakumfoɔ no wɔ ɛberɛ a wanhyɛ da akum obi. Wankum onipa, na mmom deɛ ɔyɛeɛ yɛ asiane.
Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.
7 Ne saa enti na merehyɛ mo sɛ monyi nkuropɔn mmiɛnsa nsi nkyɛn no.
Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.
8 Sɛ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn trɛ mo ɔman mu sɛdeɛ ɔkaa ho ntam kyerɛɛ mo agyanom na ɔde asase no nyinaa ma mo sɛdeɛ ɔhyɛɛ wɔn ho bɔ no a,
If the LORD your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
9 ɛsɛ sɛ moyi nkuropɔn mmiɛnsa si nkyɛn. Sɛ moto mo bo ase di mmara a mehyɛɛ mo no so ɛnnɛ yi sɛ monnɔ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn na monnante nʼakwan so a, ɛnneɛ, ɔde asase no bɛma mo.
and if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways, then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, in addition to these three.
10 Monyɛ yei, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, wɔnhwie mogya a ɛnni fɔ no ngu wɔ mo asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ mo agyapadeɛ no so, na moanni mogyahwieguo no ho fɔ.
This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.
11 Sɛ obi tan obi enti ɔhyɛ da kɔtɛ no kumm no na ɔdwane kɔ nkuropɔn no bi so kɔtɛ a,
But if any man hates his neighbour, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;
12 ɛsɛ sɛ mpanimfoɔ a wɔwɔ ne kuro no mu hɔ no soma ma wɔkɔpɛ no ma wɔsane de no ba kuropɔn no mu ma owufoɔ no nkurɔfoɔ nso kum no bi.
then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 Mommma onipakumfoɔ no asɛm nha mo. Monyi wɔn a wɔdi awudie ho fɔ wɔ Israel nyinaa mmra, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, biribiara bɛkɔ yie ama mo.
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
14 Sɛ moduru asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ sononko no so a, monntutu ɛhyeɛ a mo agyanom atoto ngu mmfa so nwia obi asase.
You shall not remove your neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.
15 Mommmu obi a ɔdanseni baako abɛdi atia no no fɔ. Soboɔ bɛdi mu ɛberɛ a nnipa baanu anaa baasa abɛdi adanseɛ.
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
16 Sɛ atorɔ danseni bi ba bɛbɔ obi amumuyɛ bi ho kwaadu a,
If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
17 ɛnneɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ kwaadubɔni no ne onipa a wabɔ no kwaadu no nyinaa ba asɔfoɔ ne atemmufoɔ a wɔreyɛ Awurade adwuma no anim.
then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;
18 Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔto wɔn bo bisa nnipa no nsɛm mu yie. Na sɛ wɔhunu sɛ kwaadubɔni no retwa atorɔ a,
and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,
19 wɔde asotwe a anka ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde ma onipa a wɔabɔ no kwaadu no bɛma no. Sɛ mofa saa ɛkwan yi so a, mobɛtu amumuyɛsɛm nyinaa afiri mo mu.
then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from amongst you.
20 Wɔn a wɔbɛte no bɛsuro sɛ wɔbɛyɛ saa bɔne no bi.
Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil amongst you.
21 Monnhunu obiara mmɔbɔ! Mo mmara a ɛsɛ sɛ modi so no yɛ nkwa nsi nkwa ananmu, ani nsi ani ananmu, ɛse nsi ɛse ananmu, nsa nsi nsa ananmu, ɛnan nsi ɛnan ananmu.
Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
