Yosua 20

1 Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Yosua sɛ,

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 “Afei, ka kyerɛ Israelfoɔ no na wɔnyiyi dwanekɔbea nkuropɔn no sɛdeɛ mehyɛɛ Mose no.

“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 Obiara a wanhyɛ da na ɔbɛkum obi no tumi dwane kɔ nkuropɔn yi bi so, kɔbɔ ne ho adwaa, sɛdeɛ owufoɔ no abusuafoɔ no ntumi ntɔ okum no so were.

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 Sɛ onipa a wanhyɛ da na ɔkum obi no duru kuropɔn no bi so a, ɔnkɔhunu kuropɔn no mu mpanimfoɔ wɔ kuropɔn no ɛpono ano na ɔnkyerɛ wɔn deɛ ɛsiiɛ. Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔma ho kwan ma ɔwura kuropɔn no mu, na wɔne no tena.

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 Sɛ owufoɔ no abusuafoɔ ba sɛ wɔrebɛtɔ okum no so were a, ɛnsɛ sɛ mpanimfoɔ no yi okumfoɔ no ma, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛyɛ ɛsiane.

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 Nanso, ɛsɛ sɛ okumfoɔ no tena kuropɔn no mu na ɔmanfoɔ di nʼasɛm bu no bem. Na ɛsɛ sɛ okumfoɔ no kɔ so tena kuro no mu, ɛfiri sɛ, owuo no yɛ asiane. Ɔbɛtena hɔ akɔsi sɛ ɔsɔfopanin a ɔwɔ hɔ saa ɛberɛ no a asɛm no siiɛ no bɛwu. Ɛno akyi, okumfoɔ no wɔ ho kwan sɛ ɔsane kɔ ne kurom.”

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 Nkuropɔn a ɛdidi so yi na wɔyiyi yɛɛ hɔ dwanekɔbea nkuropɔn: Kedes a ɛwɔ Galilea wɔ Naftali bepɔ asase so, Sekem a ɛwɔ Efraim bepɔ asase so, Kiriat-Arba a wɔfrɛ no Hebron a ɛwɔ Yuda bepɔ asase so.

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 Na Asubɔnten Yordan apueeɛ fam nso a ɛtwam firi Yeriko no, saa nkuropɔn a ɛdidi soɔ yi na wɔyiyii sɛ dwanekɔbea nkuropɔn: Beser a ɛwɔ ɛserɛ pradada so a ɛyɛ Ruben abusuakuo dea no, Ramot a ɛwɔ Gilead a ɛwɔ Gad abusuakuo asase so ne Golan a ɛwɔ Basan a ɛyɛ Manase abusuakuo no asase.

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 Yeinom ne nkuropɔn a wɔyiyi maa Israelfoɔ ne ahɔhoɔ a wɔne wɔn teɛ no. Obiara a wanfiri boapayɛ mu ankum ɔfoforɔ no, ɔtumi kɔpɛ dwanekɔbea wɔ saa nkuropɔn yi mu biara so. Sɛ wɔfa saa ɛkwan yi so a wɔn a wɔrepɛ aweretɔ nsa renka awudifoɔ no nkum wɔn ansa na wɔaba ɔmanfoɔ asɛnniiɛ abɛyi wɔn ho ano.

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].