The Cities Assigned to the Levites
1 In the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites that from the property they receive they must give the Levites some cities to live in and pasture land around the cities. 3 These cities will belong to the Levites, and they will live there. The pasture land will be for their cattle and all their other animals. 4 The pasture land is to extend outward from the city walls five hundred yards in each direction, 5 so that there is a square area measuring one thousand yards on each side, with the city in the middle. 6 You are to give the Levites six cities of refuge to which any of you can escape if you kill someone accidentally. In addition, give them forty-two other cities 7 with their pasture land, making a total of forty-eight. 8 The number of Levite cities in each tribe is to be determined according to the size of its territory.”
The Cities of Refuge
(Deuteronomy 19.1-13Joshua 20.1-9)9 The Lord told Moses 10 to say to the people of Israel: “When you cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan, 11 you are to choose cities of refuge to which any of you can escape if you kill someone accidentally. 12 There you will be safe from the dead person's relative who seeks revenge. No one accused of manslaughter is to be put to death without a public trial. 13 Choose six cities, 14 three east of the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. 15 These will serve as cities of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners who are temporary or permanent residents. Anyone who kills someone accidentally can escape to one of them.
16-18 “If, however, any of you use a weapon of iron or stone or wood to kill someone, you are guilty of murder and are to be put to death. 19 The dead person's nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds you, he is to kill you.
20 “If you hate someone and kill him by pushing him down or by throwing something at him 21 or by striking him with your fist, you are guilty of murder and are to be put to death. The dead person's nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds you, he is to kill you.
22 “But suppose you accidentally kill someone you do not hate, whether by pushing him down or by throwing something at him. 23 Or suppose that, without looking, you throw a stone that kills someone whom you did not intend to hurt and who was not your enemy. 24 In such cases the community shall judge in your favor and not in favor of the dead person's relative who is seeking revenge. 25 You are guilty only of manslaughter, and the community is to rescue you from the dead person's relative, and they are to return you to the city of refuge to which you had escaped. You must live there until the death of the man who is then High Priest. 26 If you leave the city of refuge to which you have escaped 27 and if the dead person's relative finds you and kills you, this act of revenge is not murder. 28 Any of you guilty of manslaughter must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, but after that you may return home. 29 These rules apply to you and your descendants wherever you may live.
30 “Those accused of murder may be found guilty and put to death only on the evidence of two or more witnesses; the evidence of one witness is not sufficient to support an accusation of murder. 31 Murderers must be put to death. They cannot escape this penalty by the payment of money. 32 If they have fled to a city of refuge, do not allow them to make a payment in order to return home before the death of the High Priest. 33 If you did this, you would defile the land where you are living. Murder defiles the land, and except by the death of the murderer there is no way to perform the ritual of purification for the land where someone has been murdered. 34 Do not defile the land where you are living, because I am the Lord and I live among the people of Israel.”
Oilando yOvalevi
1 NOmwene okwa popya naMoses momaluhaela aMoab puJordan, monhele ya shaama naJeriko, ndee ta ti: 2 “Lombwela ovana vaIsrael va pe Ovalevi moitukulwafyuululwa yavo oilando va kale muyo; noulifilo ou wa dingilila oilando nave u pewe yo. 3 Noilando ei nai ninge eenhele davo dokukala mo. Ndelenee oulifilo wayo tau ningi woimuna yavo nowoinima yavo noweengobe davo. 4 Noulifilo woilando tamu i pe Ovalevi u nokuhanga omaludimbo eyovi limwe okuyeleka kohotekuma yoshilando keembinga adishe doshilando. 5 Ndele pondje kombada yoshilando yelekeni kombinga yokoushilo omaludimbo omayovi avali nokombinga yokoumbuwanhu omaludimbo omayovi avali nokombinga yokoumbangalanhu omaludimbo omayovi avali nokombinga omayovi avali, ndele oshilando tashi kala pokatielela. Onhele ei oyo oulifilo woilando.
6 “Ndele oilando ei tamu i Ovalevi ihamano tai ka ninga oihondamenolando ei mu noku i yandja, opo omudipai womunhu a shiive oku ka hondama mo. Ndele kwaai mu nokuweda ko oilando omilongo nhee naivali. 7 Oilando aishe ei nye tamu i yandje kOvalevi oi li oilando omilongo nhee naihetatu, yo kumwe noulifilo wayo. 8 Ndele oilando ei yOvaisraeli mu noku i yandja, momapata manene, namu kufwe ihapu ndele mwaa manini, namu kufwe inini. Hano epata keshe nali pe Ovalevi oilando i fike pwaai i li moshitukulwafyuululwa shalo.”
Oihondamenolando
9 Omwene okwa popya vali naMoses ndee ta ti: 10 “Lombwela ovana vaIsrael u tye kuvo: ‘Nye eshi tamu tauluka Jordan mokuya kedu laKaanan, 11 mu nokulihoololela oilando i li meenhele da yeleka, yo otai ningi oihondamenolando yeni, opo omudipai, ou a dipaa omunhu ohaluka, a shiive okuhondama muyo. 12 Noilando oyo nai kale omwaameni wokukelela omupuli wetimba, opo ou a dipaa, aha dipawe, eendjovo daye fimbo inadi tokolwa moipafi yeongalo. 13 Nomuvalu woilando oyo tamu va pe, ihamano oihondamenolando. 14 Oilando itatu mu noku i hoolola moushilo waJordan naitatu yomuyo omedu laKaanan. Oyo i nokukala oihondamenolando. 15 Mokati keni oilando ei ihamano oyo oihondamenolando yovana vaIsrael noyomunailongo noyomwiidililwamo, opo keshe umwe ou a dipaa omunhu ohaluka, ta shiiva okuhondama mo.
16 “Ndelenee ngeenge te mu denge noshivela, nomunhu ta fi, opo nee ye omudipaielela e nokufya shili. 17 Ndele ngeenge te mu denge nemanya li li meke, li shii kudipaa omunhu, nomunhu ta fi, opo nee ye omudipaielela. Omudipaielela e nokufya shili. 18 Ile ngeenge te mu denge noshiti shi li meke, shi shii kudipaa omunhu, nomunhu ta fi, opo nee ye omudipaielela. Omudipaielela e nokufya shili. 19 Omupuli wetimba e nokudipaa omudipaielela. Ye eshi te mu hange, ye e noku mu dipaa. 20 Ile umwe ngeenge te mu tu mehandu ile te mu kupula owina, e mu dipae, nomunhu ta fi, 21 ile te mu denge mehandu enghava, nomunhu ta fi, opo ou a denga, e nokudipawa shili. Ye omudipaielela. Omupuli wetimba e noku mu dipaa ngeenge e mu mono.
22 “Ndelenee ye ngeenge te mu kupula sha ohaluka, ehe nehandu ile te mu kupula sha ehe nehalo e mu dipae. 23 Ile ye ngeenge te mu kupula emanya, li shii oku mu dipaa, ndee ta fi, ye ine mu handukila, ye kakwa li a hala oku mu dipaa, 24 opo nee eongalo li nokutokola pamakululomhango aa pokati kaau a dipaa nomupuli wetimba. 25 Neongalo li nokuxupifa ou a dipaa nomake omupuli wetimba, neongalo nali efe a shune moshihondamenolando shaye, omo a ya onhapo. Ndele ye e nokukala ko fiyo okefyo lomupristeli omukulunhu ou a vaekwa nomaadi mayapuki. 26 Ndelenee omudipai ngeenge ta tauluka ongaba yoshihondamenolando omo a ya onhapo, 27 nomupuli wetimba te mu hange pondje yongaba yoshihondamenolando shaye, nomupuli wetimba te mu dipaa, opo nee ye ke netimba. 28 Osheshi winya e nokukala moshihondamenolando shaye fiyo okefyo lomupristeli omukulunhu. Ndelenee konima yefyo lomupristeli omukulunhu, omudipai ta dulu okushuna koshilongo omo oshitukulwafyuululwa shaye shi li. 29 Oyo nai ninge onghedimhango mokutokola momapata eni meenhele deni adishe.
30 “Umwe ngeenge ta dipaa omunhu, omudipai na dipawe pahepaululo leendobwedi. Ndelenee ondobwedi imwe itai wanene okutokolela omunhu efyo. 31 Ndelenee nye inamu tambula nande oimaliwa yokukulila omudipai a kale nomwenyo, osheshi ye e netimba lokufya, e nokudipawa shili. 32 Nosho yo inamu tambula oimaliwa yokukulila ou a ya onhapo moshihondamenolando, opo a shiive ngeno okushuna kedu laye fimbo omupristeli omukulunhu ina fya. 33 Ndele nye inamu nyateka edu olo mu li mulo, osheshi ohonde tai nyateke edu. Edu olo itali ka kwatakanifwa molwohonde ei ya tililwa mo, ashike nohonde yaau e i tilashi. 34 Hano inamu nyatekifa edu mulo tamu kala, naame yo handi kala mokati keni, osheshi Aame Omwene, ohandi kala mokati kovana vaIsrael.”
