Cities of refuge
1When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, 2then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.
4This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety – anyone who kills a neighbour unintentionally, without malice aforethought. 5For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood, and as he swings his axe to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbour and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. 6Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbour without malice aforethought. 7This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.
8If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, 9because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today – to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him – then you are to set aside three more cities. 10Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
11But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbour, and then flees to one of these cities, 12the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. 13Show no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.
14Do not move your neighbour’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
Witnesses
15One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offence they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, 17the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. 20The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Matũũra ma Kũũrĩrwo
119:1 Gũcook 6:10-11Rĩrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu agaakorwo aniinĩte ndũrĩrĩ iria ekũmũhe bũrũri wacio, na rĩrĩa na inyuĩ mũgaakorwo mũrĩkĩtie kũingata ndũrĩrĩ icio, na mũgaatũũra matũũra ma cio na nyũmba ciacio, 2hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩmũkamũra matũũra matatũ marĩ handũ gatagatĩ ka bũrũri ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe mũwĩgwatĩre. 3Mũgaathondeka barabara cierekeire matũũra macio, naguo bũrũri ũcio Jehova ekũmũhe ũtuĩke igai rĩanyu, mũwatũre icunjĩ ithatũ, nĩgeetha mũndũ o wothe ũngĩũraga mũndũ oragĩre kuo.
4Ũyũ nĩguo watho ũkoniĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩũraga mũndũ ũngĩ na oorĩre kuo nĩguo ahonokie muoyo wake, nake nĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩũraga mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake ataciirĩire gwĩka ũndũ ũcio, na akorwo ndaamũthũire mbere ĩyo. 5Ta rĩrĩa mũndũ angĩthiĩ mũtitũ marĩ na mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake makoine ngũ, na akĩhiũria ithanwa ateme mũtĩ-rĩ, ithanwa rĩrũke, rĩrũũge, rĩringe mũndũ ũcio wa itũũra rĩake, rĩmũũrage. Mũndũ ũcio no orĩre itũũra rĩmwe rĩa macio nĩguo ahonokie muoyo wake. 619:6 Ndar 35:12Angĩaga gwĩka ũguo-rĩ, mũrĩhanĩria wa thakame ahota gũthingatana nake arĩ na marakara amũnyiite, angĩkorwo itũũra rĩa kũũrĩrwo nĩrĩraihĩrĩirie mũno, amũũrage o na gũtuĩka ndagĩrĩire kũũragwo nĩ ũndũ ndaathũire mũndũ ũcio mbere ĩyo. 7Kĩu nĩkĩo gĩtũmi kĩrĩa gĩatũma ndĩmwathe mwĩyamũrĩre matũũra manene matatũ ma kũũrĩrwo.
819:8 Thaam 34:24; Kĩam 15:8; Gũcook 11:24Jehova Ngai wanyu angĩkongerera mĩhaka ya bũrũri wanyu o ta ũrĩa erĩire maithe manyu na mwĩhĩtwa, amũhe bũrũri wothe ũrĩa aamerĩire, 919:9 Gũcook 6:17nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩa mũgaakorwo mũmenyereire wega maathani maya ndĩramwatha ũmũthĩ, atĩ mwendage Jehova Ngai wanyu, na mũthiage na njĩra ciake hĩndĩ ciothe, hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩmũkamũra matũũra mangĩ matatũ ma kũũrĩrwo. 10Mũgeeka ũguo nĩgeetha gũtikanaitwo thakame ya mũndũ ũtarĩ na ũũru bũrũri-inĩ wanyu, ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe ũtuĩke igai rĩanyu, na ningĩ nĩgeetha mũtikagĩe na mahĩtia ma gũita thakame.
11No mũndũ angĩkorwo athũire mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake, nake amuoherie njĩra-inĩ, amũtharĩkĩre amũũrage, acooke orĩre itũũra-inĩ rĩmwe rĩa macio-rĩ, 12athuuri a itũũra rĩake nĩmakamũtũmanĩra, arehwo kuuma kũu itũũra-inĩ, mamũneane kũrĩ mũrĩhanĩria wa thakame nĩguo ooragwo. 1319:13 Gũcook 7:2Mũtikanamũiguĩre tha. No nginya mũniine wĩhia wa ũiti wa thakame ĩtarĩ na ũũru bũrũri-inĩ wa Isiraeli, nĩgeetha maũndũ manyu magĩrĩre.
1419:14 Gũcook 27:17; Thim 15:25; Hos 5:10Mũndũ ndakaneherie ihiga rĩa mũhaka rĩa mũndũ ũrĩa mariganĩtie, rĩrĩa rĩahaandirwo nĩ arĩa maarĩ mbere yanyu igai-inĩ rĩrĩa mũkaamũkĩra bũrũri-inĩ ũrĩa Jehova Ngai wanyu ekũmũhe mũwĩgwatĩre.
Aira
1519:15 Gũcook 17:6; Math 18:16; 2Akor 13:1Mũira ũmwe ti mũiganu wa gũtũma mũndũ atuĩrwo nĩ ũndũ wa ngero kana wa ihĩtia rĩrĩa angĩkorwo ekĩte. No nginya ũhoro ũtuuo nĩ wa ma na ũndũ wa ũira wa andũ eerĩ kana atatũ.
16Mũira ũrĩ na rũthũũro angĩrũgama gũthitangĩra mũndũ ngero, 17andũ acio eerĩ magĩte na ngarari, no nginya marũgame harĩ Jehova, mbere ya athĩnjĩri-Ngai na aciirithania arĩa magaakorwo makĩruta wĩra ihinda-inĩ rĩu. 18Aciirithania acio no nginya matuĩrie ũhoro na kĩyo, na mũira ũcio angĩoneka nĩ wa maheeni, nĩaraigĩrĩra mũrũ wa ithe kĩgeenyo-rĩ, 1919:19 Thim 19:5, 9; 1Akor 5:13hĩndĩ ĩyo mũmwĩke o ta ũrĩa aciirĩire gwĩka mũrũ wa ithe. No nginya mũniine ũũru ũcio thĩinĩ wanyu. 20Andũ arĩa angĩ nĩmakaigua ũhoro ũcio nao metigĩre, naguo ũndũ ũcio mũũru ndũgacooka gwĩkwo rĩngĩ thĩinĩ wanyu. 2119:21 Thaam 21:24; Math 5:38Mũtikanaigue tha; muoyo uumage muoyo, na riitho riumage riitho, na igego riumage igego, na guoko kuumage guoko, o na kũgũrũ kuumage kũgũrũ.
